Mirrors of the Past
by osaka-chan4
Summary: Ayame Sohma...flamboyant, charming, and ever so confident. His childhood, a dark time of sadness, pain, and hatred, tells differently. CHAPTER TEN, AT LAST!
1. Prologue: Shattered Perfection

**Prologue: Shattered Perfection  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **In just one sentence...a sad, angst-filled account of the regal and confident Ayame Sohma's childhood.

**Warnings: **Just angsty stuff. It's just an introductory chapter, so there isn't too much action....

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ayame, unfortunately, or Fruits Basket, for that matter. They belong to Natsuki Takaya.

**Chapter Notes: **Ayame Sohma is born. Unhappiness rears its ugly head.

**********

The peaceful atmosphere of the small house had been shattered into a million pieces. As loud, broken sobs echoed off the walls, the sound of a vase falling to the floor added to the turmoil that had invaded the couple's previously-perfect life. Blood-red rose petals, along with shards of pointed glass and crystal-clear water, lay scattered against the dark floor boards, unnoticed and uncared for as a man held the figure of a sobbing woman close to his chest.

"It can't be...it just can't be!" the woman wailed, her fingernails making crescent-shaped red marks in her palm as she clenched her fist tightly. "I don't want to carry the same burden as the others! I don't want to be like them!"

As he held his sobbing wife close, his dark brown eyes blankly stared at the wall in thought. Although two weeks had passed since the birth of their first child, neither of the two could believe the unspeakable truth that their son - the boy that they had expected to be so perfect - was possessed by a spirit of the Juunishi **(Chinese Zodiac)**. The unwanted memories that had taken place on the day he was born remained as fresh as morning dew within their minds; it was impossible to forget, and the two of them knew this from the object of fate that had been thrust upon them. The afternoon had been a rainy and gloomy one, the perfect setting for the catastrophic events that had occurred on that day.

The dark-haired man blinked thoughtfully, flashbacks tumbling through his mind. He remembered that the day he and his wife had found out they were going to have a child, their ecstasy knew no bounds. However, their joy had dwindled into concern when they had received news that their baby was to be due two months early. This announcement worried them, for they had heard from their relatives who carried the burden of raising cursed children that premature birth was the sign that their son was to be possessed by a Juunishi spirit. But, pushing the unpleasant thought of parenting a possessed child aside, they began to believe that the early due date was most likely a defect that could be fixed.

They were wrong.

After a long and stressful day in the hospital, when the woman was allowed to hold her newborn son for the first time, she lovingly cradled the soft and adorable baby in her arms...for at least a second before a white cloud of smoke disrupted the moment. Seconds later, when the smoke had subsided, there was no longer a baby in her arms, but a small, fragile snake with silvery-white scales resting against her stomach.

The commotion that ensued was as stressful as the birth itself. The nurse had screamed and run out of the room to find a doctor as tears began to stream from the new mother's eyes. Hot tears had fallen upon the white sheets and the scales of the tiny serpent curled up in her lap…the tears of hate that she had never wanted to shed. As her husband entered the room, a shocked expression on his face when he sighted the snake, that was the moment in time his wife had snapped. She had gone completely mad, screaming and cursing and attempting to throw her transformed son off of her lap, for the sight of the little reptile repulsed her and she wanted nothing to do with him. In a vain attempt to calm her down, he immediately rushed over to his wife's bedside and grabbed her hands, grasping them lightly in an assuring gesture that seemed to put an end to her sudden rage.

But it didn't help. Tears had continued to flow from her eyes as the baby snake shoved his tiny head underneath his coils, irritated from all the noise. The feelings of happiness, love, and adoration she had possessed had been completely lost into a world of black and replaced by the bitterness of anger and loathing.

And it was these feelings that had caused her to once again burst into tears of shame and self-pity as her husband tried in vain to provide some comfort to her, for the pain of bearing a possessed child had become too much.

*****

In a small room on the other side of the house, a thick pile of sheets lay within a corner. On the pile rested a small baby that was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the world and its wonders. He was small, but beautiful. Behind his closed eyelids rested a pair of golden eyes that shone like twin suns from underneath long sable eyelashes. His skin, which was as smooth as silk, was a pale cream color, and a full crown of short, soft silver-white hair already covered his head.

It was impossible to believe that this small, innocent child was the object of his mother's hatred. He was Ayame Sohma, the infant Snake of the Zodiac who was unaware of the unhappiness he had stirred within the Sohma household.


	2. Red

**Chapter One: Red  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **To keep it short...a sad, angst-filled account of the regal and confident Ayame Sohma's early life.

**Warnings: **Violence and angst, as well as a wirty derd (XD).

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ayame (aww...) or Fruits Basket. They belong to Natsuki Takaya. Ooh! But I do own an Ayame plushie and a basket of fruits!

**Chapter Notes: **This chappy is mildly depressing...sorry, for those who dislike angst! Although I'm sure I made it clear that this was to be an angsty story from the beginning.... Anyways, Aaya, who is seven years old, is pretty much receiving some harsh treatment from his mom (who, if you haven't read the manga, is quite the beyotch). Also, I forgot to mention that **Inkweaver2** is the one who gave me the idea for the title! Thanks, Inkweaver-chan! (hugs) I'd also like to thank **Evil-Ai **for his/her earlier suggestion for Ayame's mother's name, Hitomi. Thank you so much! And the quote below is from volume 13 of the manga. Enjoy!

**********

_Against her...words are meaningless. They're powerless. She won't let them reach her, and then...they die._

_~ Yuki Sohma_

_*****_

As dark clouds obscured the sun and its radiant light, an icy breeze whistled loudly over the rumble of thunder in the distance. There wasn't a soul foolish enough to step outdoors in this weather; even the birds, squirrels, and insects that normally busied about at this time of day had chosen to stay tucked away in their homes and outwait the storm that was soon to strike. Aside from the howling wind that wound its path wherever it chose to, the outdoors became deathly quiet and the atmosphere remained still, as if they were awaiting something terrible.

It wasn't long before silver raindrops began to fall, making a soft pattering sound that was drowned out by the noisy gusts of wind. The rainfall started off as a light drizzle, but became a powerful storm that drenched the earth beneath within a few minutes. Heavy torrents of rain loudly pounded the roof of the small house and the windowpanes, joining with the loud claps of thunder to evolve into one of Earth's mysterious symphonies of nature.

A flowerpot that had been resting on the porch was suddenly knocked over by an onslaught of wind. Soil, pieces of clay, and the remains of the red roses lay in disarray on the porch and caused the household's only spectator of the strong downpour to flinch at the noise that resounded.

The seven-year-old child gazing out the window shuddered once more as a loud roll of thunder echoed through the sky, followed by a long neon-purple streak of lightning that cracked the dark sky and lit up the lawn for a brief second. When the lightning subsided, he exhaled quietly with relief and sank down to the floor.

The boy rested his head on his knees as he wrapped his thin arms around his legs. He had silky hair as silver as moonlight that reached to the tips of his tiny shoulders, and ivory skin that accented his large, luminous golden eyes perfectly. Clad snugly in a red turtleneck sweater and black pants, he twirled a lock of his silver hair around his finger as the sound of the rain hitting the roof and windows began to soothe him.

"Ayame!"

Ayame Sohma's drowsy eyelids snapped open when he heard his name being called. Surprised, he lifted his head up and turned towards the open doorway that led into the kitchen as the slender figure of a woman blocked the entrance. She made her way over to where he was sitting, her menacing and heavy footsteps getting closer.

The shadow of his mother, Hitomi Sohma, fell over the frozen boy as she crossed her arms and gave her son a cold and hateful look. The bitter expression within her icy blue eyes sent a violent shiver down Ayame's spine as he felt the narrowed orbs staring intensely into his frightened golden ones.

"Y-yes, Mother?" he spoke in a voice that was so small and quiet that it was barely audible. The frightening sensation he received from feeling his mother's cold eyes gazing into him was so overwhelming that he was forced to gaze downwards, immediately becoming aware of the fact that his small hands were trembling. His uneasiness grew when Hitomi leaned towards him to the point where the two were eye-level, which was far too close for his personal comfort.

"What do you think you're doing sitting here in front of the door like this?" she inquired, irritation heavily evident in her voice as she spoke. "I'm already late for an urgent meeting downtown, and the last thing I need is for you to be in my way!"

Ayame immediately lowered his head. His bangs gently fell over his golden eyes and concealed a shadow of fear towards the woman who loomed over him. Unable to glance upwards, he awkwardly stood up and stepped out of Hitomi's way.

"...I'm sorry...."

Without warning, his mother's hand, which had once been clenched into a fist at her side, flew up in a flash, smacking Ayame across the face with such force that the fragile child hit the floor with a thud.

As his head made contact with the wooden floorboards, he winced in pain, but he didn't cry. Even though he could feel the tears that suddenly burned behind his golden irises, he didn't dare cry in front of his mother, no matter how much he wanted to. He had learned quickly from his past experiences that even the slightest trace of tears would just make things worse.

"Why do you always talk so damn quietly? It drives me crazy!" yelled Hitomi as she glared at the trembling boy. Ayame now sported a red hand-shaped mark on the left side of his face, and his silver tresses, as well as his hands, were stained with the faintest trace of a crimson liquid that began to run down the side of his face in a thin stream.

He quickly turned his gaze towards the floor, for the tears that had been trapped behind two sun-colored prisons had released themselves. One fell on his hand, and his eyes widened, for his trembling hands were in full view of Hitomi's eyes. Fortunately, she didn't notice, for his silver hair had formed what resembled a curtain over his face as he gazed down at the floor. Hastily wiping them away with his sleeve and rubbing his eyes, he made a move to get to his feet, but his unsteady knees gave out, causing him to collapse.

Ayame's humiliation grew when he noticed that the angered expression on his mother's face had faded to one of amusement as she watched him tremble before her. "What's the matter? Don't have enough strength to get yourself up off the floor?"

The silver-haired boy gave her no reply as he continued to stare down at the floor, his eyes misty as the words hit him and echoed in his mind. Emotions of sadness, humiliation, and self-pity ran through his body as he clenched his fists tightly, knowing that Hitomi's words had rendered him completely helpless.

_No...I don't...._

After a moment's time, he slowly gazed upwards, and the expression upon Hitomi's face told him that she wasn't finished with him yet. As the bitterly-amused smirk faded to its usual scowl, she bent down to Ayame's eye level and grabbed his chin, making him gasp loudly in surprise as he was forced to look into her glowering blue eyes.

"Now, listen to me, _snake_," she hissed sharply. "That meeting can't wait any longer than it already has. If I have to put up with any more trouble from you in the next five minutes, you're in for some serious punishment when I get back if I have to listen to them nag at me for being late! Do you understand?" she asked harshly, her icy blue eyes narrowing into slits.

Ayame's frightened golden eyes widened as her hand trailed up his smooth ivory-skinned cheek and stopped at the top of his head. He opened his mouth to reply, but the words didn't come. Confused and frightened, he blinked once, twice, then three times before all that escaped his throat was a timid shuddering breath.

_...What happened? Where's my voice? _he thought in a panicked manner as his breaths quickened. _Where did it go?_

He didn't have time to react as his mother, who had become quite infuriated due to his lack of an answer, angrily grabbed a fistful of his long silver hair and pushed him down into the floor, causing him to cry out in pain as her grip tightened.

"_Answer _me, Ayame," she growled through clenched teeth, ready to strike again if her son failed to do as she told him.

Ayame, frightened of getting himself into any more trouble, managed to squeak out, "Y-yes, Mother! I understand!" before a sob quickly escaped him. His immediate reaction was to clamp his hand over his mouth and hope with all his well-being that Hitomi didn't notice.

She didn't. Rather, she muttered irritably, "Thank God. It's about time you understood." Her grip soon relaxed on her son's hair and allowed him sit up on his knees, obviously fed up with the little snake and how late she was going to be for her meeting. "I shouldn't have to spell it out for you every single time."

Ayame quickly looked up as her hand struck him across the face once more, causing him to fall backwards and hit the side of his head on the nearby staircase. Almost instantly, an unwanted metallic taste filled his mouth, and his head dipped forward and let the crimson liquid fall into his hands as bitter resentment started to flow through his veins.

The sound of the door slamming reached his ears as he slowly reached for the railing of the stairs, wincing as pain shot through his small body. His stifled breathing and the hurt coursing through him whenever he moved made the task excruciating, but his efforts were soon rewarded. Within a few moments' time, Ayame was standing up once again (thanks to the railing's assistance).

As the events that had just occurred replayed themselves within his head, his golden eyes became cloudy as the anger and hurt began to build up inside him once again. He should've grown used to this treatment by now, but he still found it unbearable. He should've become numb to Hitomi's hateful insults that she often threw at him, but they still struck him painfully. He should've known better than to get himself in trouble and feel her angry wrath, but he always ended up doing something wrong. And he blamed himself for these setbacks.

…_Why?_

As the word entered his head and quickly disappeared, he felt his eyes sting with the tears that had once more escaped entrapment. Exhaling a shuddering breath, he turned and took a teetering step as he made his way up the dark staircase.

His thoughts absorbed him so heavily that he failed to notice the figure that stood in the entrance to the brightly-lit kitchen, silently watching the silver-haired boy with a saddened look in his dark brown eyes. As the boy's soft footsteps were drowned out by the thunder that rumbled outside, Ayame's father, a tall and lean man with short black hair and glasses, sagged his shoulders when the seven year-old reached the top of the stairs and disappeared down the dark hallway.

Kentaro Sohma couldn't help but feel self-hatred for himself at that moment. On the outside, he was a calm and collected man who was friendly and polite to those around him. But on the inside, he was a raging hurricane of dark emotions that were beyond his control.

Unlike Hitomi, he wasn't as uncaring for the little snake boy. In fact, he fondly speculated Ayame from a distance, observing and deciphering him as he grew with each passing day. Kentaro had always thought of him as a sweet and well-mannered child, despite the fact that his son hardly spoke around either him or his wife. And on the occasions when he did speak face to face with his mother, his voice was so timid and small that he was often yelled at to talk louder.

His memory took him back to last week, when Hitomi had received a phone call from Ayame's teacher at the elementary school he attended.

*****

_"God, he is such a problem child! His teacher at school informed me that he doesn't say a word in school and wants to know if something is wrong with him. She also said he doesn't play with any of the children in his class." Setting her cell phone down on the table, she huffed and ran a hand through her long blonde hair. "You'd think he'd be less of a problem at school than that," she muttered. Kentaro simply nodded as his eyes read the front of the newspaper again and again._

_*****_

..._And this is because I won't do anything for him...._

Unfortunately, he wasn't given the permission to speak to his son. Shortly after Ayame had been born, a tearful, angry Hitomi had informed him that he was not to acknowledge the boy whatsoever, since she didn't believe a child possessed by a Juunishi spirit deserved the love and attention that a normal human did. Kentaro, who had always been the type of person who was easily manipulated and pushed around, had nodded in understanding. He loved his wife dearly and always wanted to make sure she was appeased, but sadness and guilt nonetheless weaved itself throughout his heart whenever he glanced upon Ayame's face.

And now, he was paying for his decision by being forced to stand and watch as his wife shouted at and hurt their only child. Because of the choice he had made, his son, due to this treatment, had become silent, fearful, and untrusting of the two of them.

…_He's like this now… because of me._

His hand instantly flew to his head and he turned, entering the kitchen as he felt a migraine disrupt his thoughts. A migraine seemed to always occur whenever Ayame entered his mind…therefore, he had them quite often.

*****

Ayame laid his hand on the brass doorknob, ignoring the creak that resounded as he pushed the door open and closed it once more. He was flooded by yet more darkness as he entered his bedroom. It barely contained much; there was a nightstand with drawers that contained all his outfits and a lamp on top of it, as well as a large walk-in closet to the right that held several miscellaneous things.

He walked over to a small futon with several sheets and blankets that rested below the window, through which he could see the storm was still raging and wouldn't end any time soon. Blinking tiredly, he let himself fall with a thump into the sheets of the bed that had been his to sleep on since he was born.

He couldn't help but wonder what his face would look like if he held a mirror up to it and gazed at his reflection. The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth from where Hitomi had hit him, and the sleeves of his red sweater were darker in several places. The side of his face was beginning to bruise, for it hurt painfully when his hand grazed his cheek, and as he ran a hand through his matted silver hair, his fingers jerked, indicating his hair had become tangled and knotted in the events that had occurred earlier.

…_Why..? _he thought. A tired look appeared upon his doll-like features as his shoulders began to tremble with emotion, though he remained oblivious as his inner turmoil surfaced once more.

"Why...?"

He wasn't even aware he had succumbed to the stress within his body before a loud _poof_ echoed off of the walls of the room, followed by a gray puff of smoke as a tiny white snake curled into a tight ball. Shivering violently underneath the sheets as the wind continued to howl outside his window, pain overtook him, and even the thunder and lightning that cracked through the gray sky failed to stir him.

**********

**Preview: **Well...we know a few things for sure. Ayame Sohma is a soft-spoken little boy...and, tragically, prone to abuse from his mother, who is a *suddenly feels hand clamped over her mouth*. Ahem...and his father is a pushover...loser. These revelations are saddening and despicable...but how does little Ayame see his life, exactly? Find out within the next chapter!


	3. Isolation

**Chapter Two: Isolation  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **To keep it as short as possible...a sad, angst-filled account of the regal and confident Ayame Sohma's past life.

**Warnings: **Some depression and angsty stuff. Again.

**Disclaimer: **Once again, I don't own Ayame (hmph!) or Fruits Basket. Only the plot of the story belongs to me.

**Chapter Notes: **This chapter is...kinda boring, actually, so there isn't much to say about it. I hope you'll enjoy it, anyway!

**********

Several days later, darkness invaded Ayame's bedroom once again. Black shadows danced about on the floor and walls as the maple trees outside the window swayed gently with the wind. As usual, the sky was a dull, slate-gray color…no sunshine slanted through the clear glass and fell to rest upon the silver-haired boy's face, and no birds chirped merrily in the treetops outside. The stormy weather that had invaded the sky entrapped everything it could into a shroud of gloom, including the small house in the fields.

A faint rustling sound broke the black tranquility as Ayame, sound asleep, rolled over on his side and buried himself underneath the blankets. Nestled underneath the covers, the shadows his long eyelashes cast over his pallid cheeks made him look more peaceful, as did his silver hair fanning over the pillow. As his little chest rose and fell with his soft breathing, the snake looked as if he had no concern for anything as he slept. To him, sleep was one of his few methods of escape from the sadness and agony of the bitter world that he lived in.

But Ayame's contented demeanor was soon shattered by a barely-noticeable twitch as he buried his face deeper into his pillow for protection from something unseen. His shoulders began to tremble with fear of the nightmare he had become ensnared in, for he was completely defenseless against the stinging words that hit him like a barrage of snowballs in his sleep. Even as he slept, he could feel the fear rise within him and tightly grip his heart, unable to escape from it.

_"I don't see how I can stand to take care of you. You should be grateful that I chose not to sell you to the main house...or my sister, for that matter. It still confuses me how she can bring herself to love such a pitiful and worthless nuisance such as you."_

His eyelids fluttered in a desperate attempt to wake himself from the bitter words as they tore into his soul like claws.

_ "You can't do a single thing right to save your life, can you, you little brat? All you do is cause me and everybody else around you trouble."_

_ ...I don't like this. I don't like this at all...._

_ "Good-for-nothing creature...."_

_ ...A creature? Is that what I am to you?_

_ "Stupid snake...."_

_ Stop...please stop...I'm begging you...._

_ "You have no idea what your father and I go through to take care of you."_

_ ...STOP IT!_

Ayame's golden eyes snapped open as he bolted upright into a sitting position. The sun-colored irises flickered frantically back and forth before his fear began to wear away, and the pounding of his heart slowed. Instead of infinite, pitch-black darkness, he found himself within the familiar surroundings of his room. He sighed with a strong feeling of relief. The atmosphere of his room put him at ease, despite the hazy memories that had become trapped within its walls. It served as a barrier between him and the world on the other side of the door, shielding him from the sadness and hatred that he had the misfortune to know so well.

Exhaling, Ayame sat up once again. A somewhat-dazed expression fell over his features as he gazed down at his slightly-trembling hands.

"I haven't had a dream like that before..." he said quietly to himself, not caring that nobody could hear his words.

He was suddenly snapped from his state of bemusement by a loudly-increasing tapping on the window. Slowly, he turned to see through the glass a heavy curtain of rain that pummeled the earth as thunder rumbled faintly in the distance. As a response to the gusts of wind howling through their leaves, the maple trees outside tossed madly against the gray sky, utterly defenseless as their red leaves were torn from their branches and carried away.

At this familiar display, Ayame buried his head in his hands as lightning cracked through the sky and briefly illuminated the walls. Recently, he had grown sick of the rain and reoccurring storms; for the past week, the weather channel had predicted rain each day, and it came with every forecast. It almost seemed as if the screaming wind, the loud thunder, and the sounds of rain never ended, and this added onto the misery Ayame often experienced each day.

For most of his short-lived life, he had always hated storms. He wasn't entirely sure why. The most reasonable explanation to him was that the lightning reminded him of the shivers that would run down his spine whenever he heard Hitomi's voice or saw her eyes.

Suddenly, the thunder subsided for a moment in the distance, revealing a new sound that made its presence known inside the tranquil household. Ayame's thoughts vanished as his sensitive ears picked up the familiar chiming of the old grandfather clock downstairs in the living room. He listened carefully as the ancient melody of the clock softly sang the time of day over the sounds of the raging storm outside.

_One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...._

The silver-haired boy's eyes widened. _…Seven o' clock? _he thought to himself in disbelief. If he wasn't ready for school soon, he knew that Hitomi would let him have it if he received a late note from his teacher. Standing up so quickly that he grew dizzy for a brief moment, he hurriedly shoved all of his blankets off of him and made his way to the small dresser in the corner of his room.

Once Ayame had changed from his white sleep kimono and into his navy-blue school uniform, he began the frustrating task of attempting to adjust his tie correctly. After several tries, it troubled him no longer, but the long sleeves of his shirt suddenly began to make him uncomfortably hot. He loosened the tie slightly, feeling much better when the collar around his neck wilted and lessened the warmth. Although it was currently late summer and the sun would bring unbearable heat upon the small town around this time of the year, Ayame wore long sleeves even on the hottest days in order to shield his sensitive skin from the sun's rays. This often helped, but he, being possessed by the snake, was also prone to transforming whenever he was exposed to extreme temperatures. It was difficult for him to go out in public on several occasions, for he had to be extremely careful whenever the temperature was too hot or too cold. However, he often managed to live his life without too many incidents.

After gathering his school books and placing them in his bag, Ayame brushed his long, silver bangs away from his eyes and glanced in the direction of a small circular mirror perched on the wall. Walking over to it, he surveyed his reflection and gazed at the pale-faced child that stared back at him.

He was immediately struck with a sudden ill feeling. Although they were barely noticeable underneath his long bangs, several small bruises marred the cream-colored skin from the events in the doorway a few days prior, and a faint, almost unseen trace of a red handprint made itself known on his cheek. He immediately turned away from the mirror, unable to bring himself to look at his reflection any longer. The bruises were a cold, undesired reminder of the occurrences that had transpired within the past few days, but more importantly of Hitomi's deep, relentless hatred towards him.

Ayame shuddered as a lonely, rejected feeling invaded his senses. He knew that he wasn't the son she wanted. And he didn't have to feel the stinging pain upon the side of his cheek when she hit him or see the fury within her ice-blue eyes to know this. Whenever he looked at her, she glared. Whenever he walked past her, she went the other way. It was all too evident in her actions, her eyes, and her character in general. Hitomi hated him.

She had even cried because of him.

_"You can't do a single thing right to save your life, can you, you little brat? All you do is cause me and everybody else around you trouble."_

"...!"

He flinched at the echo of the haunting words from the nightmare within his head, barely noticing that his breath had become shallower as a shadow of fear invaded his vision.

_She...she only says scary things...._

"_Ayame! _You'd better be awake when I come up there!"

Ayame's head jerked upwards and swiftly turned in the direction of the door as he heard Hitomi's voice drift through the crack underneath. As he heard her footsteps stop outside his bedroom door, an all-too-familiar sense of fear shot through him like a bullet. He tried to move from the spot where he was standing, but it was as if he were frozen in place. Upon realizing this, he instantly felt sick with panic.

_If you don't move...if you don't move, she'll hurt you!_

He couldn't suppress a small gasp when he looked up to see his mother standing in the doorway, her usual expression plastered upon her face. "Have you finished getting ready for school yet?" she grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest.

"…Yes," Ayame replied timidly as he shifted his eyes over to the rain-splattered window, where he saw a shining black car with tinted windows parked in the driveway. The soft sound of the humming engine penetrated the glass and reached his ears over the thunder outside.

"Then stop your stalling and get into the stupid car!" Hitomi growled loudly as she turned and stepped out of his room. Once she had disappeared, the silver-haired child warily picked up his brown leather school bag, but he barely took a step before a loud "Ayame, hurry up!" made him jump.

"…C-coming."

*****

As the wind viciously stung his porcelain cheeks, Ayame watched as the car backed out of the carport and turned. Once it had vanished into the rainy shadows, he shifted his eyes towards the slate-gray sky. Silence hung all around him, save for the rain softly hitting the ground as it slid off the top of his umbrella.

He couldn't help but notice as he gazed out from underneath his wet silver bangs that he was completely alone, aside from the small brown sparrow that zipped past him and fluttered towards its nest for shelter. Not that he was surprised. It seemed as if no matter where he stepped, whether it was his home, his classroom, or into a crowd of rushing pedestrians by mistake, he was all alone and completely separated from the rest of the world. Everywhere he went, he was all by himself in a sea of people.

_Alone...._

Ayame turned around, taking notice of a chattering elderly couple walking down the sidewalk in his direction. When he politely stepped aside in order to let them pass, they glided by him without so much as a thank-you. Once the sound of their bickering gradually faded away and they were nowhere in sight, he shifted his gaze towards the pavement and began to absentmindedly count the number of cracks he could find in the crumbled concrete.

_…This is so lonely...I hate it so much.  
_

"Aww! You're no fun, Haa-san! Can't we do it just one more time?"

"No. I'm tired of staring contests. They're stupid. Besides, you always win."

"But how come?! Are you just jealous because I'm always the winner?"

"Don't you ever listen when I talk to you, Shigure?"

The silver-haired boy lifted his head as the sound of new voices caught his attention, and he turned around to see two boys walking down the sidewalk towards him. They both looked to be about his age, and they were both similar yet different in appearance. One of them, the taller of the two, had hair as black as midnight and eyes the color of jade, and his expression was one of seriousness and boredom. The boy skipping merrily beside him had black hair as well, but his eyes were a creamy chocolate color and he was grinning broadly from ear to ear. Judging from the way they conversed with each other, Ayame assumed that they were friends, despite their obvious differences in personality.

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts when he a light breeze gently swished his hair, and he turned to see that the two boys had already passed him. As "Shigure" continued to chatter excitedly and "Haa-san" muttered a reply, they walked past the large elegant fountain in the center of the school courtyard and opened the doors to the school building.

"...Maybe I should go inside, too," Ayame quietly said to himself over the thunder that rumbled in the distance. As he made his way towards the building and past the fountain, he gazed at its magnificence as the water splashed softly from its elegantly-designed spouts.

_...Haven't I seen them somewhere before?_

_**********_

**P****r****eview: **It seems like Ayame endures enough inner turmoil within his home, let alone his own mind. Surely there's a place where a child such as himself can find solace from all that darkness...surely, somewhere. Right? Please continue to wait for updates and find out!_  
_


	4. Hurtful

**Chapter Three: Hurtful  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **...See previous chapters.

**Warnings: **More angst. Surprise, surprise.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ayame (dang it!) or Fruits Basket! Quit makin' me say it! (goes on rampage before Ayame plushie is suddenly hurled at her head)

**Chapter Notes: **This chapter is somewhat more cheery than the ones I have up so far. It revolves mainly around Ayame's school life. Also, Tanako-sensei is an OC of mine that I made up, just to let you know. She provides some comic relief in this chapter. Anyways, onward!

**********

The familiar sound of the school chimes had long passed throughout the building, and the before-class chaos that normally occurred in Tanako Haiyazaki's classroom had died down. Well, almost. The classroom was currently abound with the voices of many young students as they were called upon to give answers to last night's homework assignment. Every now and then, Tanako would smile and ask for the eager third-graders to answer a problem all at once, and the children would gladly do so...except for one.

Ayame, as he always did, kept quiet and simply stared at his desk as Tanako called on various students to give out answers. His thoughts trailed away from the events in the classroom, and he was soon lost in his own world yet again. Although he knew it didn't have to be so, he was the same at school as he was anywhere else: silent as a shadow and completely isolated in his thoughts. This observation instantly carried him back to last week when Tanako had called his mother last week to bring to her notice his unusual silence in her class. Hitomi's phone had been on speaker at the time, and because of this Ayame was able to stay hidden within the hallway and eavesdrop on the conversation.

_Sensei said I was...antisocial? Whatever that means...._

The thought quickly left his mind, and he blinked tiredly due to a lack of sleep. He let out a long, withdrawn sigh as he buried his head in his arms and hid himself from everything within his view. As his vision began to darken, he could feel his thoughts drifting away from the events in the classroom before they were lost in a never-ending black void.

*~*

_ Ayame jerked his head up, golden irises flickering back and forth like frightened butterflies. Turning, he could feel his breath catch in his throat. Everything had vanished. Tanako was no longer standing in front of him, his classmates were nowhere to be seen, and even the classroom itself had disappeared into oblivion. He was the only one left, sitting in his seat as he looked around, pleading silently for somebody to appear and prove to him that he wasn't alone._

_ "Good-for-nothing creature...."_

_ The silver-haired boy could feel his heart beating rapidly as a tall and slender figure suddenly appeared before his wide eyes. Anybody, he had wished. Anybody but _her.

_ "You have no idea what your father and I go through to take care of you."_

_ The bitter words Hitomi had spoken to him had come back to haunt him again. An overwhelming feeling of nausea suffocated him, and he had to look away from her, for her mere presence awoke emotions of fear and distrust. For seven years, she had kept herself busy with striking and filling the poor snake's mind with unhappy thoughts, and it seemed as if she enjoyed making her own son's life miserable. Ayame couldn't help but wonder how she directed her attention towards his father, though he could care less enough about the man to bother to find out._

_ "But...she hates me..." he whispered inaudibly to himself as he covered his face and began to feel his eyes sting. That much he knew, and it bothered him anyway._

_ "It's okay, Aaya-chan! You can come see me anytime, as long as it's okay with your mommy!"_

_ Ayame jerked his head up as the sound of a new voice reached his ears. This new voice was light and lilting, unlike the cold, uncaring tone of Hitomi's, and intrigued him when he realized the voice sounded quite familiar._

_ "Aaya-chan, you are just too cute! Sometimes I just wanna eat you up!"_

_ Like the snake he transformed in to, Ayame could detect movement around him even if he couldn't see anyone. It was this trait that surprised him when he felt a light breeze swish his hair, as if somebody had walked past him. As he slowly turned around to find its source, he found himself faced with a different figure. He couldn't quite make out her face, but she definitely wasn't his mother. For one thing, she was shorter by at least three inches. That difference was quite obvious, but one that couldn't be seen by the eye was that this person had a sweeter, more optimistic aura around her, and this new realization made Ayame's eyes widen. He felt compelled to break free of whatever was holding him back from running into the person's open arms, as if she was welcoming him to an embrace, but he couldn't move from his desk. It was as if an invisible concrete wall had been built up around him, holding him like a caged animal, and rendered the thought of escape pointless._

_ "I love you so much, sweetie!" the figure chirped as a warm, loving smile spread across her features and caused her blue eyes to shimmer with affection. It was then that the snake recognized the voice._

_ "...Auntie...?"_

*~*

"Ayame-kun?"

At the sound of the new voice, Ayame opened his golden eyes and blinked tiredly, slowly raising his head up in a dazed manner. As several other kids snickered around him, he blankly faced the front of the classroom where a seemingly-curious Tanako stood. "…Yes?"

"Sleep well?" the woman asked, smiling broadly.

The silver-haired boy rubbed his eyes. "…Not really."

Suddenly, the loud uproar of laughter from his classmates finally snapped him out of his tired daze. He instantly turned twenty shades of red. "Uh, that's not what I – !"

"Well, since you're awake and with us again, would you like to answer question five for us?"

Ayame, after overcoming his struggle with confusion and embarrassment, was at last able to regain his focus. "...Thirty-five."

"Great job, Aaya-kun!" the teacher praised as she flashed in his direction a bright grin. Ayame gave a slight nod to let her know he received her acknowledgment before averting his gaze to the surface of his desk once she turned towards another student.

He sighed inwardly and slumped on his desk. It was apparent to him that the day was going to pass by at a snail's pace.

*****

Several hours within the school day had passed by slowly, as he had predicted. Much to his delight, the rain had ceased to fall for the time being, and this enabled he and his classmates the access to the school playground. Ayame was more than glad to escape the walls of the classroom and savor in the fresh afternoon air, even though he knew it was just another hour of recess that would end sooner than he desired. This fact was far from his mind at the moment, however, as were the sounds of his classmates laughing and chattering around him.

Ayame shivered as a cool breeze caressed his face and teased his silver bangs lightly. Autumn was soon to come, so it was of no surprise that the air would be a little chilly during late summer. Ignoring the chill upon his face, he glanced towards the sky and immediately noticed the sudden change in the weather. The familiar sight of heavy clouds threatened to release rain upon the playground at any moment, and this observation caused the snake to avert his eyes downward in distaste. Temporarily imagining that the storm clouds weren't above, his gaze remained fixed upon the grass surrounding his feet and the large tree that he sat under.

Suddenly, he tensed. As another light gust of wind blew through his moon-spun tresses, the memories of his unexpected in-class slumber came back to him in a heartbeat.

_"Good-for-nothing creature...."_

_ "I love you, sweetie pie!"_

Ayame remembered distantly the opposing voices of Hitomi and his aunt, his mother's cold and bitter and the other woman's so warm and loving. The replays quickly vanished from his thoughts as a new question appeared within his mind.

_...What was that supposed to mean, anyway? _At the thought, the silver-haired boy looked towards the side in confusion. _Was it because I didn't get enough sleep last night?_

"...Ayame-kun?"

The thoughts vanished into nothing as Ayame's golden eyes widened in surprise at the sudden sound of the voice. He whirled around instantly, causing Tanako to take a backwards step in surprise and unexpectedly trip on a tree root protruding from the earth.

Ayame could only sweat-drop as he watched Tanako take a hard fall on her back to the ground, a pair of swirly eyes gazing upwards at the gray sky. The awkward silence was quickly broken by a loud rustle of the teacher's tan knee-length skirt as she stood up and brushed herself off. As her sheepish, embarrassed grin subsided into her regular cheerful one, she pushed a lock of her wavy blonde hair behind her ear and sat down next to him.

"…I'm, uh, sorry for scaring you like that, Ayame-kun," Tanako said in a light, chuckling tone that broke the silence between the two. "I should probably be more considerate next time."

The silver-haired boy shook his head. "…It's okay," he replied, his golden eyes avoiding his teacher's.

Tanako smiled awkwardly, then turned away for a brief moment in slight uneasiness. The curtain of tension surrounding her and her student was so powerful that it almost seemed as if she could reach out and grab it if she tried. Instantly, sweat-drops began to run down the back of her head by the dozens. _I didn't imagine that talking to a student would be so…so difficult! Well...I am talking to somebody who barely even says a word during school...but he looks so lonely sitting here all by himself all the time. Then again…maybe he doesn't talk because his friends aren't in my class. Or maybe he just likes being mute…or he could just be taking that "no talking" rule to the extreme… _

"…Sensei?"

The sound of the golden-eyed boy's quiet voice caused Tanako to instantly turn her head in surprise. "Uh, y-yes?!"

Ayame turned to look at her and tried to ignore the obvious uneasiness surrounding the two. "…Did I get a bad grade on something? Like a test?"

Tanako's cheeks instantly brightened a light red when she noticed the large, slightly-slanted golden eyes gazing at her questioningly. _Even if he has a bit of an evil eye, he's so…cute! _For a moment, she had the strange temptation to wrap her arms around him and snuggle him to death, but the thought was short-lived. She shook her head wildly from side to side and responded, "O-Oh, no! You didn't get a bad grade on anything, Ayame-kun! Y-you're doing just fine! Excellent, even! You have the highest grades in class!"

The instantaneous response from a spastically-speaking Tanako caused Ayame to jump back in shock. He quickly nodded in understanding before turning away from his teacher. He knew for a fact that Hitomi would nag at him for the rest of the week if a failing grade marked his flawless school record, especially since he attended the most prestigious elementary school in the city. It was good to know that he was in no danger of receiving any punishment related to his academic abilities anytime soon."…Okay."

The blonde-haired woman, now settled, tilted her head slightly, staring at the long navy blue sleeves and pants upon his form. _Hmm…I wonder if he gets hot wearing the winter uniform in the summertime? _She turned from him and lightly tugged at the collar of her white satin blouse in discomfort. _It kind of makes me hot just looking at him…_

"…My skin gets red if I don't wear long sleeves all the time."

A shiver ran down Tanako's spine. _Was I staring?! _"Uh…really?"

Ayame nodded, and his teacher nervously grinned before sagging her shoulders at the sight of the silver-haired boy's unsure expression. She looked away briefly, thinking deeply as usual. _I came here and sat down to talk to him, but…but it doesn't seem to be working out like I wanted it to._ _...Well...I might as well give it a shot...._

Tanako breathed in deeply and turned towards Ayame, whose honey-colored irises contained a mildly-suspicious flicker. "...Ayame-kun?" she began in concern, "is something—?"

_"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"_

A shrill scream pierced the air, disrupting the teacher and causing both to turn around in surprise. At the scene that unfolded before her, Tanako immediately stood up, eyes wide, and ran to where a small boy with dark brown hair sat in an upright position on the ground, crying in pain. Nearby, a little girl with ginger pigtails and wide blue eyes gazed at her friend with an expression that displayed pure shock. The commotion instilled curiosity within Ayame, and he stood up and nervously gazed at his classmates from afar. That is, until a movement in the grass caught his attention and made him twitch in alarm.

Tanako failed to notice as she helped the sobbing boy get to his feet. She hastily brushed off the dirt from his navy-blue uniform shorts and asked, "What happened, Kazushi-kun?"

The dark-haired boy remained silent before managing to choke out, "I…was just gonna get a b-ball that rolled over there…and…!" He paused, and tears began to run down his face once again, directing several curious stares in his direction. He held up his hand, which was bleeding slowly from several needle-like holes in his skin.

Before he could finish his sentence, the red-haired girl pointed to the ground and squealed in fright, "And then he tripped and a snake bit him!"

"A snake?" An expression of surprise overtook Tanako's expression, and she gazed downwards towards the ground where the trembling girl was gesturing. After a moment, she blinked, confused. All she could see was grass. "But Fumio-chan…I don't see a—"

"There he is!"

The blonde-haired woman turned towards the direction where Fumio pointed…and froze in sudden shock. A long, slender black snake had wrapped its cold, scaly body securely around a surprised Ayame's neck, its forked tongue gently flickering against the boy's sleeve in an expression that showed friendliness and no harm. Ayame made a careful move to remove the snake from his shoulders, but he jerked in surprise when the reptile, who had noticed the wide-eyed stares of Tanako and his classmates, suddenly opened its mouth and hissed sharply in their direction.

Ayame froze when he noticed his teacher and the two other students jump backwards in surprise. A frightened sensation instantly took hold of him. _…This is bad…this is really bad…!_

Tanako, suddenly frightened for him, called out, "Just stay calm, and it won't bite you, Ayame-kun! I'll be back as soon as I can after I get Kazushi-kun to the nurse!" She gently escorted the sobbing Kazushi away as Fumio and several other classmates watched them walk towards the school. Only after the two were out of sight did the many pairs of eyes fall upon a rigid Ayame.

"It's…it's that weird kid, isn't it?!" a black-haired girl cried as she pointed at the silver-haired boy.

"Do you think he made that snake around his neck bite him?"

"Maybe it's his pet and he can control it with his mind!"

"I _knew_ that he looked and acted so weird for a reason! He's some sort of snake-controlling alien!"

"Yeah! He totally used his alien powers to make that snake bite Kazushi-kun!"

"That wasn't very nice, Ayame!"

Ayame's fluttering heart pounded loudly in his chest, and the terrible ringing of the accusing voices in front of him began to echo within his head. Something buried within his senses urged him to run from where he stood, to escape this awful place as fast as he could and leave them all behind. But he was unable to move. No matter how hard he wished, his feet refused to budge. This left him with no other choice than to use his only other protection against the stinging words of the children in front of him.

"…But…I wouldn't do anything like that!" he said in a weak, but somewhat defiant tone as he looked up and gazed into the accusing eyes of his classmates.

One of the boys within the crowd put his hand to his ear in a mocking fashion and yelled, "Sorry! We can't hear you!"

"Just what you would expect from someone who doesn't talk!"

"Yeah! Talk louder, would ya?"

The ringing in Ayame's ears grew louder and more furious, and the trembling child held his head in his hands in a display of inner torment. He could feel a sudden bitter feeling coursing through his veins, and the feeling was so strong that it nearly hurt. As both his heartbeat and anger began to increase, he removed his hands from the sides of his head momentarily.

The sight of the girl with red pigtails invaded his vision, her blue eyes set in a glare that caused his blood to run cold. "Why would you do something like that?! Using your freakish powers to hurt my friend!" she yelled at the silver-haired boy, and he took a step backwards in surprise, his wide golden eyes flickering with hurt.

"…But I never —"

"_SHUT UP!_ What'd Kazushi-kun ever do to you?! I hate you so much!"

"…!"

A black-haired boy watched as her silhouette quickly vanished into the distance before turning back towards the frozen boy and the black snake curling around his arm. "Man, making a girl cry is pretty low. What were you and your stupid pet thinking?"

Ayame jerked his head up in alarm at the sentence.

"What a freak!"

_Stop…_

"No kidding! We don't like freaky-looking aliens who control snakes!"

_…Just go away…please…! _Ayame's fist clenched tightly, for something within him was about to snap.

"Now we know why Ayame's so quiet all the time! He's—"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!"

Too late. All of a sudden, at least a dozen snakes sensed Ayame's distress and appeared out of nowhere, wriggling through the grass and slithering over the children's feet. As fearful screams and loud hisses filled the air, Ayame's once-timid golden eyes closely resembled those of a poisonous viper as he glared angrily at the kids that had instilled within him so much fury. The snakes slinking through the grass didn't faze him in the least; all his focus was set upon his classmates as they scattered frantically to avoid the slithery reptiles and their sharp fangs.

"EEK!! They're everywhere!"

"You're doing this too, aren't you?!" another boy yelled as he glared at a seething Ayame.

"Let's get outta here before he starts making them bite us!"

The silver-haired boy watched silently as his classmates bolted away as fast as they could, not once glancing back at him and the snakes at his feet. The ringing of the chimes suddenly sounded, and Ayame, who chose to ignore them, was soon the only person left within the solitude of the graying outdoors. With a faint nod of his head, the dozens of snakes slithered into hiding and left him to stare at the ground through moonlight-colored bangs.

Ayame failed to notice the rain that soon fell from the sky as he became lost in a dark world of his own. As his shoulder-length hair and dark school uniform quickly became soaked through with the moisture from above, something warm ran down his face and mixed with the cold rain he despised.

_…Why did I just…?_

If Tanako hadn't found him standing outside in the stormy weather, he was sure he would have stayed there for the rest of the day.

*****

The day had been rough. As Ayame steadily began the walk to the car that escorted him home from school, he sighed and gripped the handle of his bag tighter. The weather wasn't any better than it had been when the events from earlier had transpired, not that he minded. It certainly fitted his mood. The thunder still rumbled lightly in the slate-gray sky, and the air smelled faintly of moistened earth from the rain heavily falling upon his umbrella. He shivered and lowered his head to protect his face from the lashing wind, nearly falling flat on his face when he could hardly see his way through the rain. However, he was able to stop himself from slipping, and he continued on his way in a slow, thoughtful stride.

For the remainder of the school day since recess, poor Ayame had dealt with numerous insults and dirty looks from his classmates. The story had been spread throughout the entire school (not surprisingly, most of it was fantasy), and it had been nearly impossible to focus on his work when he could feel the eyes of some of the other students glaring at him from all directions. The looks were bad enough, but the whispering had been even worse. He had overheard several voices at once whispering his name and the word "snake," and he turned around and noticed several kids looking at him warily. He was faced with insults from children in other classes when he made his way through the halls, some that threatened to unleash his anger once more, but he continued looking forward and attempted to ignore them. Although he wanted to turn to them and return the favor with hateful words of his own, he refused to look at anybody or say a word. If he did, he knew what would happen.

_ …They'd just laugh_, he told himself.

A sudden movement appeared in the corner of his eye, and he stopped. Several yards away from where he stood, two silhouettes, both protected by umbrellas, chatted in a friendly manner with one another. As Ayame's vision focused more, he quickly realized the two figures were the boys he had seen earlier this morning. _"Haa-san" and "Shigure," I think._

Ayame blinked thoughtfully, and his head slightly tilted towards the side. The faint feeling of familiarity he had felt earlier this morning returned to him, only it was stronger than before. He was positive that he had seen them _somewhere _before, although he couldn't exactly remember where…or when. Something told him that he had a strong connection to the two friends, stronger than he could imagine, but he had no idea what that connection could be.

_ …Maybe I should go say hi, _Ayame thought for a brief moment. _They might recognize me from somewhere. _He looked up and gazed at the two boys once again, carefully considering the idea, but after a moment shook his head and continued walking. _…Maybe…some other time._

"Hey, you. With the white hair."

A new voice instantly startled Ayame. Turning quickly, he found himself face-to-face with a dark-haired boy close to his age. Behind the boy were several others, and all stared towards him with curiosity upon their faces. A sudden feeling of suspicion rose within his mind, but he chose to ignore it for the time being. The least he could do was answer, since they obviously meant him.

"…Yes?"

"You're that kid everyone keeps talking about, right? The alien snake charmer?".

The question took the silver-haired boy by sudden surprise, and his breath seemed to pause for a brief moment. Thus, he didn't respond.

Within an instant, the ringing sound of laughter filled the air, and Ayame swiftly turned to see the boy and his companions doubling over on the sidewalk with expressions of amusement clearly written on their faces.

"There's definitely no way this kid can be the right one!" the dark-haired boy jeered between snickers. "He's way too girly!"

"Yeah! I'm surprised he isn't wearing the girl's uniform!"

"And what's with that hair? It's so long and girly-looking!" another boy interjected as he pointed at the wide-eyed boy's moon-spun tresses. "But this freak has to be the alien snake charmer…there's no one else in this school with white hair and yellow eyes!"

"Hey, you're right! You think you're pretty smart, don't you?" the dark-haired boy snickered. "Well, you're not, weirdo!"

Ayame took a backwards step as he felt the hurt of more insults strike him. A faint film of unshed tears suddenly became visible over the golden irises, causing them to appear hazy as he averted his gaze to the wet, cracked concrete of the sidewalk. He could feel every ounce of his existence scream for him to run away and escape the harsh words, but, as he had felt just hours prior to this moment, he remained frozen. His fist clenched at his side, and he slowly gazed up towards the laughing boys in front of him with an aggravated expression upon his features.

"…Maybe you should all go home."

The dark-haired boy's amused eyes instantly turned caustic. "Yeah, _you_ probably should, girly-boy!" he jeered, mocking Ayame with his brown eyes. "That's where a creep like you belongs. Somebody who can control snakes? How weird is that?"

"It isn't my fault that they show up," Ayame, in an attempt to appear unfazed, stated matter-of-factly.

"Whatever! We know you made that snake bite that kid! That's something only freaks like you can do!" he spat. He paused momentarily, as if he was thinking for a brief moment for something else to say. Suddenly he added, "And what's with that girly face of yours, anyway? What kind of creep has white hair and yellow eyes?"

"Yeah! He's a freak! A snake-controlling freak!"

"Go home, weirdo!"

The silver-haired boy's sable eyelashes instantly became dotted with more tears that threatened to fall any minute and make matters worse. He tried to ignore the words that cut shallow wounds into his already-tainted heart, but the snide comments about his abnormal appearance were impossible to ignore. They hurt him in a torturous manner that only he knew, for all the sadness he felt upon hearing them traced to the one painful thing that made Ayame the silent person that he was.

_…This stupid curse…_

Suddenly, a small girl with shimmering violet eyes appeared out of nowhere beside the smirking dark-haired boy, who gasped and jumped backwards in surprise. "That's what you may think…but his golden eyes remind me of the sun…" she sighed dreamily.

A long period of silence settled over the children, and one of Ayame's honey-colored eyes slightly twitched in a display of bewilderment. The brown-eyed boy sweat-dropped, as did his companions, and muttered, "Shut up, Fuka."

"Don't get on that creep's side!"

"Yeah! He's a loser!"

"He's a complete weirdo!"

"A freak of nature!"

The trembling snake's breathing intensified, and the hurt within him rose to summit.

"…_Shut up!_"

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps mixed with the rumble of thunder, and Ayame's swiftly-disappearing form was instantly obscured by the heavy curtain of rain. The sounds of laughter that followed failed to reach his ears as he pushed himself to run faster and faster, and the tears that he had suppressed finally streaked down his flushed cheeks. As cold wind and rain stung his face, he silently seethed as anger flooded his senses once more.

The misfortune of being born as the snake of the Juunishi was to blame for every unhappy event that had transpired within Ayame's life. His unusual physical appearance, his mother's hatred, his father's silence, and the fact that he was always looked down upon by others....

More tears streamed from his misty golden eyes as the silhouette of the black car suddenly came into view. _…This curse…it ruins everything!_

*****

"So, how was school today, Ayame-san?"

"…"

The driver of the car, curious at receiving no response, turned to get a better look at the silver-haired boy. "Ayame-san? "

"Let him be." Hitomi's cold voice cut off the man in the front seat. "There's no point in trying to talk to this kid when he's in a bad mood." Her blue eyes narrowed as she gazed at the silent boy staring out the window at the rainy scenery. After a moment, she added, "Look at him, with that cross expression. Ridiculous!"

"…My apologies," the driver replied quietly. _...I don't mean you, Hitomi-san._

Ayame didn't say a word. His eyes, which appeared drained and upset from the events that had transpired, remained fixed upon the gray sky. As the sound of the falling rain on the windows of the car echoed within his mind, he felt himself slowly slipping into his own dark world once more, feeling angry, sad, and completely alone.

**********

**Preview: **Egads...kids can be a real pain, can't they? Hopefully, their rudeness doesn't increase the plethora of issues within Ayame's world. Speaking of...what are these issues, exactly? What are they, and how were they brought into this young boy's life? What do his curse, his mother, and his father have to do with them? Wait for the next chapter in order to find out!


	5. Memoir

**Chapter Four: Memoir  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **See previous chapters!

**Warnings: **That's right, more angst!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ayame or Fruits Basket. But...a girl can dream, can't she?

**Chapter Notes: **Err...there's some cuteness in this one! Yay for the angst-cuteness mix! Also, another OC makes an appearance or two in this chappy. Her name is Kimiko, and she is - you guessed it - Aaya-chan's aunt. And remember, Kentaro is Aaya's father's name. Well, onwards to the chappy! Enjoy!

**********

_ "Aww! He's so cute, Hitomi!" The blue-eyed woman bent down and smiled at a short, white-haired boy that was shyly hiding behind his father's leg. His large golden eyes peered at her warily from beneath his long silky bangs, only adding more to his adorable appearance. However, she failed to notice the suspicious flicker within his eyes and continued to gaze at him with a cheerful grin._

_ With a disgruntled sigh, Hitomi replied, "Well, Kimiko, he's yours for the week. Congratulations." She glanced at a clock hanging on a nearby wall and added, "We should be going now, or else we'll miss the plane. See you next week." Without giving any verbal evidence of a thank-you to her younger sister, she turned on her heel and glanced over her shoulder. Kentaro noticed the gesture and gave a quick goodbye wave to Kimiko and Ayame as he followed._

_ "No worries, onii-chan!" the smiling woman called as she waved energetically to her older sister. "Aaya-chan and I will have loads of fun! Won't we?" Ayame, barely knowing how to respond to her lively character, simply nodded in reply._

*~*

The soft sound of Ayame sneezing disrupted the nighttime tranquility, but it quickly returned once he made himself comfortable. Looking up, his sun-colored eyes took in the sight of the dark blue scenery before him. Despite the faint reminders of the events that had occurred within the week, he couldn't help but feel relaxed at the sight. A cool wind caressed the leaves of the maple trees, creating a soothing rustling sound, and the white moon within the night sky bathed everything with its silver light.

Ayame tilted his head towards the side with a sense of serenity flowing through his veins. The sight of the world before him covered with moonlight comforted him in a way unexplained. As a result of the calm feeling, a small, barely-noticeable smile appeared across his features. But within a few moments, his appreciation of the night's scenery faded, and his train of thought was boarded by a memory from long ago.

*~*

_ "Darn it! I left it on too long!" Kimiko exclaimed in frustration as she stared at the smoldering pile of ashes that was supposed to be dinner. As she began to beat herself up and rant in frustration about how she could never do anything right, she failed to notice that her four-year-old nephew was hiding behind the counter, the hair on his head practically standing up in fear. However, she turned around mid-self-punch and instantly blushed in embarrassment when she saw Ayame's expression. She rubbed the back of her head in an awkward fashion and asked, "…It looks like I'm not exactly the best cook, am I, Aaya-chan?"_

_ Suddenly, her sheepish grin was replaced with a curious expression. Ever since he had arrived at her home, Ayame hadn't shown much emotion towards her, and he had only spoken a few quiet words. But at this moment, a bright, amused smile suddenly appeared upon his pallid features, accompanied by a faint joyous flicker within his eyes._

_ At the sight, an instantaneous grin appeared upon her face. With a cheerful laugh, she made her way over to him and playfully ruffled his silver hair. "Looks like I finally got you to smile!"_

*~*

A warm feeling overcame Ayame's senses at the memory, and a small laugh broke the nighttime silence. The silver-haired boy couldn't help but smile whenever he thought of his loving aunt, Kimiko Sohma, and her warm, cheerful grin. As far as he knew, she was the only person he knew that seemed to love him without any abhorrence towards his Zodiac curse. She was sweet, kind, and loving, even if she was a bit ditzy (not to mention clumsy) at times. But she was Ayame's favorite person to be with, and he cherished her dearly.

It almost seemed puzzling to him that she and his cold, uncaring mother were related by blood. They were as different from each other as night and day. One nearly smothered him to death with affection whenever she saw him, and the other treated him as if he was something completely inhuman. Ayame blinked thoughtfully, feeling somewhat confused about the whole thing, but he gradually pushed the thoughts away and began to absentmindedly play with a leaf that had fallen onto his sleeve. He was only seven years old, therefore he felt he didn't really understand, but he probably would later on.

The gears in his head began turning once more as he thought of the many gifts he had received from Kimiko in the past. When he had met her for the first time, he instantly noticed the wide variety of paintings that she had hung up in her living room. Most of the beautifully-decorated art left an impression that would last for quite some time, and Kimiko had noticed. She began to tell him that creativity, no matter which form it took, was always a good thing. According to her, creativity expanded a person's imagination and allowed their mind to grow. It could be cooking, painting, or sewing, but any of these always helped in influencing somebody's future (Ayame went to bed with an enormous headache that night).

Although he didn't quite understand at first, since he had only been four, he soon knew what she meant when Kimiko began giving him books and sketching pads as parting gifts whenever he left her house. He began to realize that reading and drawing made decent pastimes, and ever since then, they had become his favorite things to do. Ayame sometimes felt as if he could spend hours reading the same books over and over again or drawing things he pictured in his head. Not only did they keep him from growing bored to death, but they often helped him divert his mind away from whatever bitterness invaded his life.

Ayame's thoughts suddenly vanished when he sneezed again, and he leaned forward as a result of the force in his chest. When he was in a straight posture once more, he lowered his head as a faint breeze left a lasting chilling sensation on his arms. _…Maybe I should go inside, _he thought as he felt his forehead, which was surprisingly warm. _I might catch a cold and have to miss school._

As if a switch had been flipped, Ayame's mind left the light state it had previously been in and faded into blackness. Turning, he noticed that the lights in the house were still on, casting several yellow patterns onto the dark porch. He knew that Hitomi and Kentaro were inside and still awake, probably oblivious to where their son was and what he was doing.

Not like he cared. Turning away, Ayame's shoulders sagged as an unwanted memory began to force itself into his head. He briefly looked towards his side and saw the tall shadow of his mother pass by within the light that lay in one particular spot on the porch. He averted his golden eyes towards the ground once again, and an expression of bitter thought overtook his features. That familiar hurt from long ago returned to his senses as a painful flashback began to replay itself within his head.

The first clear memory he had of Hitomi rejecting him…

*~*

_ "What on Earth is wrong with him?"_

_ "That doesn't matter right now! Somebody hurry and call a doctor!"_

_ The commotion that ensued as the servants of the main house rushed about seemed a complete blur to the small silver-haired boy. Ayame and his mother had dropped by the Sohma estate for a simple visit, but everything had spiraled downwards when he had suddenly collapsed in the front entrance. As Hitomi, who appeared somewhat surprised, quietly ordered him to get up, the servants instantly realized what was wrong when they heard the four-year-old boy's breath come in long, heavy gasps. Now all but Hitomi scattered about the house, frantically searching for the family doctor._

_ Ayame, who hadn't even paid much attention to his symptoms before they got worse, was in critical danger. He was on his knees facing downwards, his hand holding his throat as he grew more panicked with every shortened breath he managed to exhale. His whole body felt as if it was on fire due to the dangerous rise of his temperature, and a heavy feeling of nausea began to grow more powerful until it seemed like he would faint. He couldn't help but feel scared. Never before had he felt so ill in his four years of life, nor had he realized that he had caused so much alarm just from suddenly coming down with a fever._

_ But what frightened him the most were the hard-to-decipher words of the panicked adults surrounding him._

_ "Somebody do something! He's only a kid and could die from this!"_

_ "Where's that good-for-nothing doctor when you need him?!"_

_ "He'd better get over here quick!"_

_ "If he transforms, it'll only get worse! Just hang on, Ayame-san!"_

_Ayame looked around, searching for somebody to hold on to. He knew that if he didn't find somebody to stay next to him soon and provide some comfort, he would probably pass out and transform due to not only his weakened state, but from the stress of not feeling comforted by anybody. As black dots began to darken his vision, he tentatively reached his hand towards the person that was nearest to him and clung tightly to her skirt. "Mother…!"_

_ The reaction he received was definitely not what he expected. As he looked up, his flushed face instantly paled when he saw those cold, ice-blue eyes narrow in abhorrence. Without a word, Hitomi turned on her heel and left the room, leaving a deeply-hurt Ayame behind._

_ As the hazy silhouette of the family doctor suddenly appeared, darkness closed in on the silver-haired boy as his strength left him and he fainted. Darkness that would remain within his soul for the rest of his life._

*~*

Ayame fidgeted in disdain at the memory and instantly felt glad when he forced it out of his mind. Although he had grown completely numb to frequently remembering these ordeals at the most random moments, this didn't mean that he necessarily wanted to. Most of the time, he found himself wishing that he could just forget everything that had occurred within his lifetime, and he often managed to suppress several memories for a short while. But no matter how hard he attempted, he could never seem to make himself overlook all the misery and bitter hatred that he had known for so long.

No thanks to Hitomi. For seven long, painful years, not once had Ayame been shown even the smallest hint of motherly affection from the tall, conceited woman. Despite the fact that he had little memory of his infancy, he knew that Hitomi had hated him from the day he was born, thanks to his Zodiac curse. As far as the silver-haired boy could recall, she had displayed this hatred by shouting at him or even hitting him whenever he happened to be near her, no matter the reason. And on the occasional times her temper flared to its highest summit, her acts of spitefulness quickly helped Ayame learn to avoid her whenever he could. Even a small glimpse of her narrow, ice-blue eyes glaring at him bitterly was enough to send shivers up his spine.

His father was no better. The slim, dark-haired man known as Kentaro Sohma had avoided the small snake ever since he had been born, hardly ever speaking a word to his only son. If Ayame gave him a mere glance, he grew rigid in discomfort and instantly looked in a different direction every time. Whenever they passed each other, the two always looked straight ahead and never exchanged words with one another. Looking back, Ayame noted that the only person his father really seemed to talk to was Hitomi, and whenever he did, the silver-haired boy always saw what his true personality was like. Kentaro was soft-spoken, composed, and friendly, but Ayame recognized one noticeable flaw in his docile personality.

He was easily pushed around. The silver-haired boy had noticed this setback several times in the past, mainly whenever he had inadvertently instigated Hitomi's rage. As she snapped at him or slapped him across the face, Ayame almost always noticed Kentaro standing nearby, looking down at the floorboards with an unreadable expression.

It was at times like these when he compared his father to a piece of clay; he could be manipulated and stretched in any way desired, and he appeared cool and inanimate to the eye. Ayame thought it suited him well. Kentaro was practically without a spine, and it was most likely for this reason that he avoided his only child due to Hitomi's orders. As a result of this weakness, Ayame paid as little attention to his father as possible, barely giving him a passing thought. If he was going to avoid him, it couldn't possibly hurt him to be avoided in return.

Golden eyes narrowed in resentment underneath silky bangs. Ayame knew he was disliked. And it wasn't hard for him to guess why. He had been one of the unlucky children born with the burden of being possessed by an animal from the Juunishi. This set him apart from others in several ways, but on top of carrying the ancient curse of the Sohma family, he was fated to transform into a snake whenever he was weak, hugged by a female, or if the temperature was too extreme (that part was only in his case, however).

A _snake. _A cold-blooded, scaly reptile that was rumored to possess charm and flamboyancy as its main traits. Ayame sighed, guessing that his life would be no different if he was possessed by something cute and cuddly. But unfortunately, he was cursed by the snake, a creature that many hated and looked at with revulsion. And Ayame knew this all too well. If he ever accidentally transformed within Hitomi's sight, she screamed and shut herself away in a room until what seemed like hours later. From the stories the silver-haired boy had heard about snakes, he realized how hated and shunned they were by society, just as he was by his parents. It was one of the worst feelings in the world to feel disliked by so many individuals, and Ayame despised the fact that he could easily relate.

He also hated it whenever his mother cried. Because of her son, his curse, and his existence, Hitomi sometimes wept incessantly in Kentaro's arms for long periods of time. Ayame was sure that he was the main reason she shed tears of self-pity on these occasions, and every time, he felt sick to his stomach. The sound of his mother's sobbing aggravated him so much that he had once attempted to soundproof his room with pillows when he was five (unfortunately, it didn't work). Whenever the silver-haired boy heard the shame and anger within her crying, he didn't feel as angry towards himself as he did her. She did it because she hated her son, and Ayame couldn't stand how remorseful she always felt for herself just because he was possessed by a Juunishi spirit. It wasn't as if he had _chosen_ to have this awful curse.

And every time she cried, shouted, or got angry with him, not once did she consider disowning him completely and leaving him to the main house. Even Ayame was smart enough to know that all she wanted was a high status in the Sohma family.

All of a sudden, Ayame shoulders lightly sagged as his eyelids started to feel heavy. Without paying heed to the fact that he was still in his school uniform, he made a move to stand up and enter the house in order to get a good night's sleep. However, his vision darkened too quickly, and he barely made the slightest move before he fell back to the porch, fast asleep.

Only several minutes later, Kentaro opened the door to find the silver-haired boy sleeping in front of his feet. He blinked his dark brown eyes, confused. Kentaro had always been a night owl, so it was like him to step outside every now and then for some fresh air, but he never would have expected to see his son outdoors at this time. The observation quickly left his mind, and he bent down next to Ayame in concern.

"…Hey. Are you awake?" he asked quietly as he lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He received no response and wondered what he should do (he didn't know that once Ayame was out, that was it). _I wonder why he's sleeping out here like this. In any case, it's pretty cold out for a summer night. I should probably get him inside, or he'll get sick. _He winced, knowing all too well that Hitomi would most likely raise hell if that happened (for obvious reasons).

Without giving the matter continuing thought, he swept Ayame up in his arms and entered the house, making sure not to run into anything and disturb him or Hitomi. As he silently made his way up the stairs towards the silver-haired boy's room, he felt a light, nervous fluttering in his chest. He could hardly remember the last time he had ever interacted with him like this, let alone even spoke to him. It felt somewhat strange to be carrying his only child to his room like this, but at the same time, he felt the paternal affection that he had hidden from Hitomi since Ayame's birth. Sure, it was an uncommon occurrence, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat content towards the small snake's presence in his arms, even if he was asleep.

After he had laid Ayame in his futon and pulled the blankets over his shivering form, he closed the door with a faint click and left his room without a sound.

**********

**Preview: **It seems as if we now have more understanding of Ayame's troubles than before. And as tragic as it sounds, they can only grow...as for how, I'm not gonna tell, because that would be too much of a spoilage! X3 Continue watching for updates to find out!


	6. Here No More

**Chapter Five: Here No More  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **…See previous chapters.

**Warnings: **Character death. And along with character death comes…ANGST.

**Disclaimer: **(sniffle) I…I don't own Ayame or Fruits Basket.

**Chapter Notes: **…Wow. This is actually one of the first times I've written anything involving death, so this chapter might suck. But then again, it might not. I guess it all depends. Since there isn't much more to say, I guess I'll shut my yap and let you actually read the chapter. Onward! Enjoy, and thank you for all the reviews! I meant to thank you all in my previous chapters...I suppose it slipped my mind. XD Anyways, thank you all! Okay, I'm really leaving now!

**********

A faint chill settled in the cool atmosphere as summer's end drew nearer, and the leaves began to curl upon their branches as death overtook them. It was for this reason that Ayame, who hated the cold, had chosen to stay inside his room reading a book. As the silver-haired boy's eyes flickered over the words on the pages, he remained nearly oblivious to the sound of the wind whistling outside his window. Despite having read the same books over again for many days prior to this one, Ayame often became easily absorbed into what he was reading, and he was aware that it seemed like an odd tendency to have. He gave the matter little thought, however, and continued looking over the words before his eyes with contentment upon his visage.

Nearly a half-hour passed, and within that time the snake blinked tiredly with faint boredom. Setting the book down, Ayame glanced about for something else to do when his gaze quickly fell short upon a nearby wall. The golden orbs fell over a medium-sized picture suspended upon the wall, and for a seemingly-unknown reason, he felt the faint warmth that bliss was accompanied by. It seemed a strange feeling to undergo at the vision of such a morbid image. The picture on the wall displayed a bleak background of black roses, their velvety-looking petals as dark as night. Nestled within the middle of the sinister flowers was a single red rose that stood out noticeably among the others in a strange, mysterious fashion. It may have been this curious oddity that Ayame found himself to like so much about the image, just as he had when he was younger.

*~*

_ "What are you drawing, Ayame-chan?" Kimiko asked in her usual lilting voice. Her short, wavy golden locks spilled over her shoulders as she knelt downwards beside a deeply-focused Ayame, who was gracefully drawing something on a piece of paper. For a four-year-old kid, he seemed to put forth much effort in his work, and Kimiko smiled as she watched her nephew add what seemed like final touches to what he had been sketching._

_ After a moment, the silver-haired boy turned towards her and held up the paper. "…A flower," he replied faintly. As he spoke, he gestured towards a painting of a red rose against a background of many black duplicates to draw his aunt's attention to what he had been looking at._

_ Kimiko took the picture and gazed at it, completely awestruck. "This is gorgeous, Ayame-chan!" she beamed as her blue eyes took in the near-perfect form of Ayame's drawing. "It looks almost exactly like the rose in that picture up there!" She enthusiastically ruffled the smiling boy's silver hair, glancing towards the picture hung up on her wall in a pensive manner. "So, you like that picture?" she inquired as she gazed back towards the snake's version of the image._

_ "Uh-huh," Ayame replied. A small smile lit up his features as he spoke._

_ After a brief minute of silence, Kimiko's expression lit up as she suddenly came up with an idea. "If I give you the picture hanging up on the wall, would you let me keep this one? I want everybody to see what a good artist my cute little nephew is!" she chirped._

_ The silver-haired boy blinked his large golden eyes, appearing slightly confused. After a moment, he smiled and answered, "…Okay!"_

*~*

At the faint image of Kimiko's cheerful expression lingering within his mind, Ayame's reminiscent appearance brightened up with a smile. The memory of how joyful Kimiko looked at the sight of the drawing was enough to make him want to continue creating pictures for her enjoyment and fascination. He always wanted to see her smile, for when she did, it was always so heartwarming and overflowing with affection. And if his artistic abilities were what Kimiko adored, he would sketch anything his eyes fell upon just to receive her words of kindness and loving grin.

A new idea suddenly entered Ayame's mind, and he got to his feet in order to retrieve his sketch book, which was lying on a nearby nightstand. Once it was in his hands, he sat down with a determined expression upon his features. He reached for a nearby pen and instantly began to create perfect lines that formed a familiar shape upon the white paper, and as he continued his effortless work, contented thoughts began to fill his mind.

_I'll give this to Auntie the next time I see her, _Ayame told himself as he added the final large petal to the outside of the elegant rose he had drawn. As he carefully began to fill in the picture with color, his golden eyes flickered with muted cheerfulness. _She might like it._

The snake's contemplation was broken by the sound of a door opening, then closing with a shuddering bang downstairs. Ayame's head jerked up in alarm at the sound, and he cautiously turned to face his bedroom door. He instantly knew that his parents had returned home from wherever they had been for the past few hours; it was common for them to simply walk out the door without mentioning anything about their departure to him, and today was one of those cases. Although the seven-year-old didn't exactly look forward to Hitomi and Kentaro returning home, he always found it best to say hello to them anyhow. Reluctantly, he stood up with the half-finished picture in his hand and made his way to the door to open it. Turning the brass doorknob, he stepped into the darkness of the hallway and closed the door behind him with a click.

As he made his way towards the top of the staircase, he gazed down at his parents below and stopped short. From his point of view, he could see that Hitomi's blue eyes appeared swollen, as if she had been crying for a lengthy period. Ayame quickly noticed that she had been, and still was, as a glassy film of tears glimmered within the sapphire irises. Beside her, Kentaro appeared to be upset as well, judging by the way he cast his brown eyes towards the floorboards. Despite his apparent unhappiness, he chose to provide comfort to his quietly-sobbing wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a consoling fashion.

The silver-haired boy drew back and felt a faint sick feeling within his stomach at the sight. He instantly sensed that something was terribly wrong, and he didn't need to witness his parents' obvious despair in order to assume this. A heavy aura of grief seemed to hover within the walls of the house upon their arrival, and the unpleasant feeling was so thick that Ayame felt as if he could touch it if he tried. He was tempted to turn around and return to the comfort of his room to escape the upsetting ambiance, but he was held back from doing so. Something told him that he needed to know what had happened to instigate this unsettling atmosphere, and also that it was incredibly important to his awareness.

Despite the fact that he was afraid to know, Ayame glanced towards Hitomi through his silver bangs. "…Did something happen?"

Hitomi coldly shifted her gaze towards him, then back towards the floor. After a moment of bitter stillness, she replied, "…Kimiko passed away this morning."

Silence. Once the five bleak words were spoken, the ancient grandfather clock within the living room crooned three times with its dark, deathly-sounding chime. The pendulum continued to sway slowly from side to side as the sound echoed off the walls a final time, and the words that Ayame hadn't expected to hear copied the same action. As a heavy invisible shroud of darkness began to overtake his senses, he began to take the appearance of a fragile piece of glass that had been shattered. His breath halted, his complexion paled from cream to ashen white, and the yellow irises seemed to splinter at the sound of those words.

"…What?"

Hitomi, who was leaving the room, turned towards him and glared. "I already told you, my sister is dead. Listen when people talk to you next time."

As she walked away from him, Ayame didn't reply to his mother's bitter response. Without a sound, he turned and made his way down the dark hallway, silver hair gently flowing behind him like water.

Kentaro's dark brown eyes followed Hitomi as she made her way to the kitchen, but quickly darted back when he heard the faint clicking sound of Ayame's door closing. His shoulders sagged as an expression of pity appeared upon his features, and he glanced upwards in the direction towards the staircase.

_...Poor kid…_

*****

It felt as if all the emotions in the world had been extracted out of Ayame's senses at once. His eyes stared blankly from beneath his long bangs at nothing in particular; in fact, he seemed to be looking past everything within his view and into a world unseen. As he absentmindedly leaned against the door in a drained fashion, his pale hand slowly loosened its hold on the sketch pad within his grasp. It hit the floor with a dull thud, and the sound of paper fluttering as a result of the impact echoed quietly off the walls of his room. But the noise failed to reach the snake's ears. With what felt like little emotion coursing through his veins, his dulled sun-colored eyes continued to gaze down towards the floor in dark reminiscence.

*~*

_ "I hope he wasn't a bother to you, Kimiko."_

_ "Of course not!" the shorter woman chirped as she playfully patted Ayame's silver hair. "He was a perfect little angel, and we had lots of fun! Didn't we?" As Kimiko gazed down towards the four-year-old snake beside her, her blue eyes blinked in confusion. An expression that she could quickly read as hesitation appeared upon his pallid features, and she grew more curious when she noticed him lightly grasp the hem of her skirt._

_ Her shoulders sagged at the sight of Ayame's large innocent eyes staring at her, but she quickly brightened up in order to make her nephew smile again. "I know! As long as it's okay with your mommy, you can come and see me as much as you like! How's that?"_

_ Ayame blinked before slightly turning to look at Hitomi, who regarded him with an impatient frown. He felt a shiver run down his spine, and he quickly turned back to Kimiko. After several moments of silently processing her words within his head, he smiled at her and responded cheerfully, "Alright!"_

*~*

"…Whenever I liked…"

Ayame slowly gazed upwards towards the glassy window, which creaked slightly as a result of the cold wind whistling outdoors. His golden irises took in the sight of dying leaves being violently torn off of their branches and thrown into the air in a display of helpless turmoil. The sight was something he was unable to look away from; in a way, the misery and sadness that seemed to penetrate through the glass was somewhat…beautiful. But the faint reflection of beauty faded, and the wind once again faded into the gray background. As the fragile leaves were viciously tossed against the window and continuously separated from the trees, Ayame's expression slowly began to show evidence of perception, and within seconds his face once again paled as his eyes reflected a shattered appearance.

Kimiko was gone. Just like that, the cheerful, smiling woman was no longer among the living. She was dead.

The unwanted reality struck Ayame as if he had been hit by lightning, and his hands instantly clamped over his mouth as he felt an overwhelming wave of nausea overtake him. He collapsed to the wooden floorboards as he tried his hardest to suppress his sudden sickness, and it was then that he noticed his body was chilled to the bone from the sadness, grief, pain, and rising anger instilled within his mind. His breaths grew more quickened and heavy as memories of Kimiko and the times he had spent with her raced through his head by the dozen, and he nearly passed out due to the overpowering dizziness he felt along with sorrow.

He couldn't accept it. He _wouldn't _accept it. Ayame refused to believe that Kimiko, the only person in his life who had ever shown him any affection, was gone. There was no way that all the times he had spent with her had ended so suddenly. If it weren't for the kindness and warmth she had treated him with, Ayame was unsure of how he would have endured to this point. Would he be even more silent than he was now? More reclusive? Out of his mind, even?

But this was far from his mind at the moment. The snake's head was filled with hazy memories from his past times with his aunt, and the sentence Hitomi had spoken continued to echo nonstop. Through the flashbacks, some crystal-clear and some as obscure as smoke, the silver-haired boy struggled to make himself believe that what his mother had told him was a complete lie.

Kimiko would always be there for him. She couldn't die.

_...Could she?_

The more Ayame told himself this, the more he began to feel unexpectedly angry towards himself. The reality was all too valid. Just like the leaves being blown against the glass window in front of him, Kimiko was gone from his life without warning. And Ayame knew that her twinkling blue eyes, her sunny smile, and her cheerful personality were gone forever.

After all, they had vanished along with her life. Never again would he see the only person whom had loved him smile.

It was this realization that caused the burning tears to fall.

Kimiko was gone…

*****

Ayame stood surrounded by people, yet completely alone within his own mind. The sky above remained dark with clouds as it released rain upon the cemetery beneath, almost as if the atmosphere was also crying in agony. Sad faces around him reflected his own soul, although his expression showed little emotion beneath the dimmed golden irises. As voices murmured and sobbed all around him, the faint smell of flowers hung sweetly in the air and mixed with the heavy scent of rain-soaked earth.

The silver-haired boy slowly gazed up through the wet bangs concealing his eyes, and he instantly noticed everyone around him disappearing like specters from the marble gravesite. The minutes passed by at a slow pace, and before Ayame knew it, he was the only one left gazing at the ominous shadow of the headstone before him.

His eyes flickered with an unknown emotion before quickly narrowing towards the dampened grass. Just minutes ago, the sound of weeping and quiet whispering had surrounded him…and he neither talked nor shed tears. Athough several days had passed since the only flicker of happiness vanished from his life, his tears and sadness still remained…only they were silent. He was too distraught to cry, and the same went for speaking. What seemed to be left of Ayame's emotions was a heavy feeling of bitter grief that remained with him and wouldn't disappear. Even after he had seen Kimiko's cold, unfeeling face for what had been the last time, he simply gazed at the silent shell that she had left behind with an unreadable expression.

The more Ayame thought about it, the more he hated himself.

He should've cried. He should've run away at the sight of the newly-erected gravestone and never looked back. But he didn't. Instead, he remained standing before the marble grave as the wind whistled through his silver hair. As his eyes scanned the epitaph that had been carved within the surface, the feeling of blackness suddenly became accompanied by what felt like silent screaming.

Ayame's hands instantly began to tremble faintly, and he slowly lessened his grip on the handle of the umbrella that shielded him from the rain. It was suddenly torn from his opened hand by a strong gust of wind and disappeared from his sight as it was carried away. As his black clothing instantly became soaked through with the heavy curtain of rainfall, a quiet thumping noise was heard as he dropped the bouquet of dark red roses at the front of the grave. It joined the bouquets that had already been placed about the site; several of them had already been claimed by the wind and couldn't be found.

"…I'll see you when I can, Auntie…"

Once the faint sentence escaped his lips, the silent tears finally broke free from their golden prisons. Without the least bit of concern to what Hitomi would say to him about his soaked clothing, he allowed his legs to give out and let him fall to the dampened grass, quiet sobs shaking his fragile frame.

*********

**Preview: **...Rest in peace, dear Kimiko-san. Man, now his aunt is gone? How will Ayame cope with such a loss? Of course, a better question would be: will he be able to look at the world as he normally does...or will it only grow darker? Watch for the update and find out. And for those of you who may have liked Kimiko...I'm sorry. :(


	7. Deep Water

**Chapter Six: Deep Water  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **See previous chapters.

**Warnings: **Yet again, more angst. Also more kid meanness and freakish nightmares.

**Disclaimer: **(falls on knees crying) …How many times must I say it? I…I don't own Ayame or Fruits Basket! (continues bawling her eyes out while people raise eyebrows)

**Notes: **This chapter takes place maybe a month or so after Kimiko's death. Gosh…his angst reaches its highest point (in his lifetime, not the story…) in this chapter. And boy, is this chapter long! O . O It's mainly quotes, though. As of now, Ayame is eight years old. He's apparently a Sagittarius, so his birthday would be in the November-December region, I believe. And it was late summer in Chapter 3, so…yes. Also, the reason that the sentences spoken by the children are a little...scattered is because most kids usually can't stay on one subject for a while. Especially not in the situation that transpires in the chapter. I would also like to thank all you awesome reviewers for…well…reviewing! Anyway, on to the chappy! Enjoy!

**********

Ayame's eyes scanned over his homework for what was probably the one-hundredth time, attempting to distract himself from whatever thoughts were vexing his mind. It was the start of yet another long day at school, and the silver-haired boy wasn't exactly looking forward to learning about the bubonic plague…or being at school at all, for that matter. His status at school was the same as if he were at home…an outcast. And the "alien snake-charmer" incident that had occurred didn't help him any.

Several quiet minutes passed, and by then Ayame realized that looking over his homework was completely pointless. With a sigh, he set down the assignment and rested his head upon his arms. Although he wasn't particularly fond of school, he couldn't help but feel somewhat grateful whenever he attended class each day. To him, school seemed to be the only place he could escape from the bitterness of his household. Although that cold, unwelcoming chill he felt whenever he entered the house seemed to follow him everywhere he went, it seemed to subside once Ayame entered an environment that was supposedly less tormenting.

_Supposedly._

Nonetheless, the inner turmoil never lessened, no matter where he turned to for escape. In fact, it had grown stronger than ever. At this point, it was overpowering and more painful than before…and practically inescapable. Even at school.

"Hey, look! Girly-boy is here early!"

Ayame's frame instantly tensed. _Not them again…_

His vision was suddenly invaded by the smirking faces of five of his classmates, none of whose names Ayame bothered to memorize. Despite the intimidation that instantly begin to swell up within his senses, he kept his golden gaze focused upon the surface of his desk. Ignorance worked most of the time, but it was almost always difficult for Ayame to shut out the stinging words of the kids in front of him.

"So, why are you so early, freak?" one of the boys asked in a taunting tone. "Are you looking for more victims to terrorize with your creepy snakes?"

"…"

"He probably is!" another boy interjected. "Why don't you just let them attack _us_? _We're_ bugging you, right?" At this, a chorus of cruel laughter immediately rose from the five students as the boy began to purposely invade Ayame's comfort zone.

The silver-haired boy remained silent, his golden eyes closing tightly as he attempted to block the sounds from his mind. _Just ignore them…ignore them...  
_

"_Hey! _Pay attention when we're talking to you!"

Ayame's golden eyes suddenly widened as he felt one of the boys forcefully yanking his silky hair. He instantly turned around and shot an agitated glare in his direction, and the boys merely laughed as they walked towards their seats. Shortly after, the bell rang.

An hour later, Ayame's frame of mind didn't seem to show any change from earlier. His golden eyes stared tiredly from behind his silver bangs as he tried to listen to what Tanako was saying, but every now and then he would briefly nod off before suddenly snapping awake. The snake's mood had completely worsened, and he had grown inattentive as a result. On top of that, time seemed to be going by at a painfully-slow pace. The thought alone was enough to make him close his eyes in annoyance, and he stayed like this for several minutes.

_SNIP._

Ayame's golden eyes quickly opened at the new sound that reached his ears. Taking it as a sign that falling asleep in class wasn't the best idea at the moment, he glanced up towards the board, where Tanako was writing something his hazy eyes couldn't read (of course, he recalled that snakes didn't have the best eyesight). As he struggled within his head to keep his eyes open, he vaguely noticed the faint snickers that began to surround him. _I wonder what's so funny._

It was then that he noticed several long strands of silver hair fall from his shoulder to the surface of his desk. His breath instantly stopped. _This can't be good…._

"Ayame-kun? How much of Europe's population suffered as a result of the Black Death?"

Ayame barely heard her as his heart suddenly began to pound loudly in his chest. "…A third." _I need to get out of here soon…_

*****

A half-hour later, the bell rang for the school's morning break. Ayame, whose concentration had been disabled by the sounds of stifled laughter around him, wasted no time in racing out of the classroom and hiding behind an alignment of lockers. He was safe from the other students for now, but what was currently nagging at him was why everybody's snickers had been directed towards him…

When he glanced into a nearby window, he quickly found out the reason. Ayame's silky moon-spun tresses had been messily shortened to just an inch or two below his chin. Upon the sight of the choppy ends, the pale-skinned boy's eyes instantly widened. A sickened feeling began to enter his senses, and he shrunk back in desolation. It wasn't his hair that bothered him – it would fix itself at some point – but what hurt him the most was that whoever was sitting behind him had even bothered. It was terrible, confusing…and just plain cruel.

…Did everybody hate him that much?

Ayame silently gazed at an uneven lock of his soft, silver-white hair, and an almost-unreadable sense of loneliness flickered within the golden irises. Without a sound, he leaned back against the cold metal of the locker behind him, drowning in deep black waters that only he could see.

_There's nothing even here for me…is there?_

*****

Just as Ayame had thought, the day had dragged on nonstop. It had been no better when the other kids were constantly making snide remarks about his altered haircut, and the snake had been dreading the car ride home in fear of what Hitomi would say about it. Luckily for him, she didn't say anything. But this didn't exactly mean that the silent ride had been any better. Even looking away from her, Ayame could feel the chill of her sapphire eyes glaring at him from the other side of the seat, and that certainly wasn't an uplifting sensation. Especially since it seemed like her stares had only seemed to grow more frigid since Kimiko's death.

As Ayame quietly followed his mother up the stairs that led to their front porch, he suddenly paused before passing through the entrance to the house. His long sable eyelashes cast shadows over his cheeks, and the dimmed sun-colored eyes beneath gazed down blankly at the wooden platform beneath his feet. He began to feel that familiar chill settle over him and engulf his senses in blackness as the day's events replayed themselves within his mind. As the anger and sadness threatened to flood and poison his emotions, his eyes darkened in inner torment. _I don't know why it has to be this way…_

The silver-haired boy was suddenly jerked from his thoughts when he felt the sudden stinging of Hitomi's hand slapping him across the cheek. "Why don't you quit standing there and actually get in the house?" Hitomi yelled, her blue eyes ablaze with anger. "You've got to be the densest child on the planet!"

Ayame didn't answer. He could only wince from the sharp pain that began to spread across his cheek as his mother huffed and turned away from him. Staring darkly at her trailing blonde hair, he began to feel those familiar hurt feelings building up like stones on a pyramid. He followed silently after her as the bitterness strengthened within his soul…along with hurt at the sound of his mother's disappearing words.

"Worthless snake…"

*****

Once again, another school day had risen with the sun. The hour for recess had started, and the playground had become dotted with kids laughing and having fun together. All except for Ayame, who had chosen to isolate himself from others underneath the large tree that lay on the edge of the playing limits. The shady area had officially become his favorite spot, mainly because he was able to spend as much time as he desired within his thoughts and not be disturbed in the least.

Not that solitude was always what he wanted.

Ayame softly exhaled a breath and drew his knees towards his chest. Ignoring a small garter snake that seemed to have taken a liking to him, his yellow eyes gazed distantly towards the horizon, which appeared faintly gray with rain clouds.

_"Isn't the snake just terrible?"_

_ "So arrogant, thick-headed, self-centered…simply terrible. Isn't that right?"_

_ "All too much. I pity those who have to put up with that child."_

The quiet silver-haired boy's eyes dimmed, then suddenly appeared as hazy as mist when another familiar phrase coursed through his mind in a clear echo.

_"Worthless snake…."_

Suddenly, Ayame's eyes snapped open as a heavy cloud of darkness overtook him, and his breath almost seemed to stop for a brief moment. Never before had Ayame realized how awful it felt to be hated by so many distant onlookers. Hate was a dreadful emotion to feel…whether it was being felt towards somebody or feeling it directed towards oneself. It was revolting, terrible, and it caused Ayame to grow sick with hurt as he remembered feeling the acid-like glares from others' eyes. And yet, he felt hate as well, not only from others but towards them, which only made him feel sicker.

He sighed distantly to calm himself down before turning to gaze at the small snake beside him. As his scaly companion flicked its tongue and gazed at him with its beady black eyes, the silver-haired boy tilted his head in bitter fondness. "…It seems like we're not wanted anywhere, are we?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

Suddenly, the small serpent turned away and hissed sharply before slithering away. Ayame heard the sound of approaching footsteps shortly after, and he gazed up to be greeted with an unwelcome sight. Before his eyes stood a small group of smirking children around his age, all gazing down at him. Without further hesitation, the children stepped closer to him before parting to let a familiar figure enter Ayame's vision.

"So, all by ourselves again, are we, princess?" the dark-haired boy snickered.

Ayame's shoulders stiffened in forced defense as his golden eyes narrowed. _Not Tamaki Oomura… _**(Tamaki is actually the boy who made fun of Aaya near the end of Chapter 3. I decided I would bring him back and give him a name.)**

The silently-mentioned narrowed his brown eyes towards the smaller figure as a response. "As usual, you won't answer. What are you? Stupid?" he questioned. "I'm talking to you here!" Instantly, his nearby comrades begin to chime with laughter, and the snake quickly felt himself growing smaller with belittlement.

"What's wrong? Are we making you mad yet? Say something, you freak!" Tamaki taunted, instigating yet more giggles.

Ayame felt fear growing within his heart, but he struggled to restrain it in front of Tamaki and the group of intimidating children behind him. _Might as well "play along," _he thought begrudgingly. As his flickering golden eyes sharpened into a glare towards his opponent, he responded darkly, "I can always call my snakes back if I want to."

_…What? I didn't just say that…did I? That isn't like me at all!_

Tamaki, as well as his companions, instantly fell silent with what seemed like surprise. However, the leader of the group recovered and smirked menacingly. "Go ahead. We're not afraid of you."

Ayame's glare began to falter. He didn't exactly expect his antagonist and his friends to run off screaming at the top of their lungs, but a small fraction of his mind had hoped that somehow his words would turn them away. As the thought overtook his mind, his eyes flickered with a lost haze. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if his inner torment and weaknesses were to disappear all of a sudden. Would he still be the object of the stinging words and hateful glares he was faced with every day?

…_Probably._

Silently as a mouse, Ayame made a move to stand up and leave to avoid further trouble. Although something told him that it wasn't the best thing to do, the snake couldn't fend off the impulse. He hated being where he was, and he didn't care where he went as long as he couldn't hear the thoughtless words being spoken to him.

Not that it mattered. The second he stood up, two slightly-larger boys instantly pulled him back by his collar and held his arms to keep him from leaving. Ayame's eyes widened in shock, and he turned to glare at his snickering captors. "What are you doing?!" he shouted. "Let me go!"

"Tamaki! He's getting angrier!" one of the boys laughed. "Do something to make him mad!"

The struggling Ayame's heart began to flutter loudly in his chest as the dark-haired boy nodded with a smile. It didn't help that his small shoulders began to tremble when Tamaki stepped closer to him, that devious smile igniting rising feelings of fear, anger, and deep hatred. "Good idea, Yukito! We'll make him so mad that there are snakes all over the place!"

"This will be fun!" another boy added. "You ready, freak?"

"Let's be so mean that girly-boy cries! This is gonna be hilarious!

"Yeah! Take this, creep!"

A powerful stinging instantly spread across his face as the boy smacked him with such force that he nearly collapsed in his captors' arms. And just like that, the painful jeers burst forth like rapids in a river. Through the laughter and cruel words, the loud pounding of Ayame's heart filled the silver-haired boy's head and threatened to make him give in to whatever angered emotions consumed him. But this didn't happen. As the words reached him over and over again, his vision suddenly began to consist mainly of black dots swimming in front of his eyes. Before he knew it, the remarks of his classmates became nothing but distant sounds within his mind. All his emotions seemed to disappear at once, and for a moment, the boy with the golden eyes appeared to be nothing more than a shadow on the wall…something that couldn't feel.

_"Worthless snake…"_

A switch was suddenly flipped, and Ayame's eyes widened as those familiar words entered his mind once again. Induced into a sense of panic, he made several attempts to free himself from the clutches of the boys holding him back. This only resulted in yet more laughter and comments about his fragility, and he glared angrily towards everybody who found it amusing to taunt him with mind-warping phrases.

Suddenly, Tamaki leaned forward and grabbed a fistful of Ayame's silver hair, using it to wrench the smaller boy's head upwards. Ayame instantly cried out in intense pain as the other children laughed malevolently. _It hurts…it hurts so much! Someone, help me!_

"Look at you," he hissed. "You're just plain stupid. You never talk, smile, laugh, or cry, and you probably don't even breathe!" He paused momentarily before adding, "Not like anybody cares about you. Why would they, anyway? You're just a freak of nature who doesn't even belong here, girly-boy! Did you hear me? A _freak!"_

_ …Mother?_

Ayame, similar to his Zodiac spirit, instantaneously struck back with acidity in his voice. "Do you think that I asked to be this way?!" he shouted. "I'd get rid of all these problems if I could, but there isn't anything I can do about them! If anything, I think _you're _one with the problem! You're just looking for someone else to take it out on!"

If the wide-eyed boy could slap his hand over his mouth, he would have._ That couldn't have been me talking just now. That couldn't have been! What's happening to me?!_

He was instantly met with another hard smack to his face as Tamaki glowered at him. "_You brat! _Do you want me to hurt you even more than you're hurting now, is that it?!" he shrieked. "If that's what you're asking for, I'll be glad to help you out!"

_Mother, that's you…_

As the laughter chimed within the cold atmosphere once again, Ayame's head lowered to conceal whatever emotion flickered within his eyes. His sadness and anger only began to build as Tamaki's words reiterated themselves inside his head.

"_You're just a freak of nature who doesn't even belong here, girly-boy! Did you hear me? A freak!"_

He knew it was all true. That familiar dark haze invaded his vision, and he found himself once again struggling underneath an invisible black ocean. According to not just Tamaki, but Ayame's family…those words were true. They were true, and yet…

_…If I'm a freak…what does that make you?_

The silver-haired boy's eyes slowly began to take on the gaze of a poisonous viper, the fury and anger igniting. He glanced up through the boy in front of him through a shield of silver bangs and venomously glared at him. _I hate you. I hate you. I hate you all._

"Hey look, he's glaring! Let's see what he does when he gets _really_ mad!"

_You say those things, but you're wrong. _Without a word, Ayame glanced down at his slender, trembling hands. …_I'm not a freak…I'm human. I'm human…!_

_ "Worthless snake…."_

"…!!" Ayame instantly gave a start at the words.

_"Good-for-nothing creature…."_

_ You're all wrong! _he screamed within his head as horrible memories entered his mind. Despite that he had been treated as something inhuman for his entire life, it didn't matter…did it? He had been teased, sneered at, hurt, and cast away by so many people as far back as he could remember, and it made him sick to think about. But underneath the pain, sadness, anger, and suffering that resulted from these memories was a small, quiet boy who was just like everyone else…only separated from others by the hated Zodiac curse. Ayame was still human in spite of his other serpent-like form. He wasn't a freak. That was true, wasn't it?

As Ayame's head was continuously filled with the taunting words of the kids nearby, his golden eyes flared. "…You're all wrong. The ones who aren't human..."

Tamaki looked at him scornfully. "What was that, girly-boy?"

The silver-haired boy didn't answer, his eyes remaining locked on the ground. Now he realized that _he _wasn't the one that deserved to be hated. He was aware that he caused his parents pain due to his curse, and they, as well as many others, hurt him in return. But aside from this…what had he done to cause harm? _…Nothing. _Ayame had come to the realization that had been there for so long that he just didn't see. His mother, his father, his classmates, Tamaki, and everyone who had ever hurt him so cruelly…

_Nobody dares to provoke a snake. Not ever. Because if they do…_

Ayame gazed upwards, sun-colored eyes igniting with seething anger. …_No…the ones who are really freaks… _"…ARE PEOPLE LIKE YOU!!!"

_…If they do…the snake will strike back._

No more than a second afterward, the silver-haired boy pulled free of the boys trapping him and punched Tamaki with astonishing strength. A moment later, the dark-haired boy was holding his head in agony as crimson blood gushed heavily from his nose, and all fell into stunned silence.

Tamaki, instantly overcome with intense pain, screamed in an almost animal-like fashion. "_Aahhhhh! It hurts! _What did you do to me, you stupid creep?!" he shrilled. As the blood continued to run in rivulets from his nose and hands, he screamed, "_I hate you! _I hate you so much!"

It was then that Ayame, breathing hard from the anger within his soul, instantly turned and bolted from the scene. Running away as fast as his legs would carry him, he refused to look back, his now-frightened golden eyes fixed on wherever non-existent haven he was heading towards. _…What's come over me? _he thought in despair. _Why did I do that to him? Why am I being so vicious?!_

He slowed as fatigue began to grab hold of him. …_Auntie…please help me…!_

Several minutes later, all of the students returned to the building for class, for rain had begun to fall. Once her class had settled in their seats, Tanako instantly noticed that Ayame's desk was vacant. "Has anybody seen Ayame-kun? He should be inside by now."

Nobody answered.

*****

"…I'm home," Ayame wearily said as he pushed open the door. When he halfheartedly gazed up to take in the dark interior of his surroundings, he instantly noticed Hitomi's narrowed blue eyes locked on him. At the sight of the hatred glinting coldly within the sapphire irises, the snake instantly became frozen at the bottom of the staircase. His legs became completely useless as he remained beneath his mother's icy gaze, and he silently pleaded for movement when her abhorrence towards him grew stronger.

Hitomi spoke not a word for several moments. Suddenly, her irritation seemed to reach its highest peak, and she angrily slapped her son across the face. "…Just get out of my sight," she hissed.

Ayame quickly complied without a word. The silver-haired boy vanished up the stairs, and a small clicking noise as he opened and closed the door to his room was all that followed.

Once he had disappeared, another figure quickly took his place. "Hitomi?" Kentaro spoke.

The blonde-haired woman's narrowed eyes slowly left the top of the staircase and turned towards her husband. "…What?"

"…Why are you doing this to him?" _...Why? _ _Do you want him to become bitter and hateful, like you?_

*****

The second Ayame was within his room, he leaned against the door and let himself slide down onto the floor in exhaustion. As his eyes were concealed by his sable lashes, he slowly began to sink into a lethargic state of melancholy reminiscence. The stinging sensation from being ruthlessly smacked across the face had faded, but it still remained within his memory…along with the other hits and insults his mother had inflicted upon him recently. As far back as he recalled, Ayame had experienced these acts of hatred, but never before had he faced so many of them in just a short time. Hitomi's wrath towards him seemed to stand out more than ever since the death of her younger sister. She slapped him often, shouted and insulted him more frequently, and never failed to glare at him whenever he was nearby…and she did most of this for only one reason.

She hated him. To her, Ayame was nothing more than an object to loathe.

As the thought flowed like water through the silver-haired boy's mind, exhaustion overtook his vision, and all went black.

*~*

_ Darkness. That was all Ayame's golden eyes could see as he stared into the infinite depths of a dark sea. Terrified, he glanced around, desperately searching for something other than the black water that supported him as if it were glass. But there was nothing more than darkness as far as he could see…however far that was. Panicked thoughts and hopeful wishes raced through his mind to see a sign of anything besides this bleak ocean, but after several minutes he was forced to give up, sinking down onto the water's solid surface with burning eyes._

_ The silver-haired boy was all alone in an unseen ocean of black...as usual.  
_

_ "Look at you. You're just plain stupid." _

_ Or that's what Ayame had thought. At the sound of the hushed, taunting voice, he gazed up through a shield of silver bangs…and gave a start when he saw Tamaki standing in front of him. The sight of the taller boy's glowering brown eyes and devious smirk was enough to make Ayame draw back in trepidation._

_ "Not like anybody cares about you. Why would they, anyway? You're just a freak of nature who doesn't even belong here, girly-boy! Did you hear me? A freak!"_

_ Ayame's head instantly lowered as fear took over his state of mind. "I know! You already said that!" he responded, his small voice containing a light tremor. But he quickly realized that he was talking into thin air. Tamaki had vanished. The snake heaved a sigh of relief, convinced that it was all over, but he quickly took this back as bodiless voices began to surround him._

_ "Isn't the snake just terrible?"_

_ "I haven't heard too many good things about it myself. Arrogant, thick-headed…just terrible. Isn't that precise?"_

_ "All too much. I pity anybody who has to put up with it."_

_"What a freak!"_

_ "Go home, weirdo!"_

_ Ayame knew there was nothing he could do to stop the voices from entering his head, and this only caused him more turmoil than what he was already experiencing. Holding his head in both of his hands, his breath began to come quicker with every word he heard, and he wanted nothing more than to be shielded somehow from all that was said. "Stop it…stop it, stop it, STOP IT! PLEASE!"_

_ As if someone had heard his cries of despair, a new figure entered Ayame's blurred vision…the last person the silver-haired boy had wanted to see. Hitomi's slender figure appeared before his eyes, the sapphire orbs as caustic and hate-filled as ever._

_ "Good-for-nothing creature…"_

_ Ayame's nails dug into his silky hair, and his golden eyes instantly burned with tears that threatened to fall any second. "Mother…please stop…!"_

_ "Worthless snake…" Hitomi's cold voice said._

_ "I'm begging you…" he choked out, straining to fight back his weakness._

_ "…Just get out of my sight."_

_ "GET OUT OF MINE FOR A CHANGE!!" Ayame yelled. As his mother's figure suddenly dissipated before his eyes, his hands forcefully gripped the dark waters beneath him, causing ripples to dissipate across its vast surface. As the dark emotions he had known all of his life came back to him, stronger than ever, he finally realized it. No matter the circumstances, nobody would ever care about him. He was a creep, an object of revulsion, and an outcast. And this conclusion was enough to make him feel dizzy with nausea as he struggled to keep himself from losing his mind._

_ "Nobody cares…" he whispered weakly to himself. "Nobody cares…nobody cares! …I'm…I'm all alone!" As his weakened voice remained unheard throughout the pitch-black darkness, he finally allowed the tears to release themselves. Heavy sobs instantly racked his frame as they continued to run down his pallid cheeks and fall onto his hands. As they stung his eyes and dotted his long eyelashes, Ayame finally allowed himself to release the sadness, torment, and weakness he had suppressed for so many years. Nothing could hold him back. His tears could cause as many ripples upon the water's surface as they like. Nothing could suppress them...nothing.  
_

_ However, Ayame's sobs subsided momentarily when he felt a hand lay upon his shoulder. Despite the fact he was startled at first, he slowly relaxed when he noticed how comforting the graze felt, and this feeling intensified when a pair of slender arms gently wrapped around his frame. He closed his golden eyes and fell back into the embrace without giving the slightest amount of thought as to who was holding him, slowly feeling his misery dissolve as he realized that somebody, whoever it was, was there._

_ "It's no fun being alone, is it?"_

_ Ayame's golden eyes instantly opened. It wasn't the words the voice had spoken…it was the familiar sound of it that made him so curious. Turning around in confusion to find its source, he stopped short in sheer fright. The person holding him looked exactly like him. From the cream-colored skin and silver, uneven hair to the blue-black school uniform, Ayame was facing a mirrored image of himself. The only difference was that the reflection's eyes were concealed by its bangs, rendering them unknown in appearance._

_ "I know how you feel," the figure said smoothly. "I hate being alone, too. It hurts. But don't worry…I'll never abandon you. I'll stay with you and protect you, always." It leaned closer to the paralyzed Ayame as if to hug him once more. "You won't be lonely. As long as I'm here, you're safe."_

_ Ayame jerked backwards, eyes wide. "…Who...who are you?" he questioned frantically._

_ The figure paused. "…I think you'd know." As it looked up, Ayame felt a shiver run down his spine in fear when its silver bangs revealed two narrow, cold eyes of gold. The image smiled wryly. "I'm you."_

*~*

The silver-haired boy's golden eyes snapped open in an instant, and he sat up with a loud gasp of surprise. He swiftly turned and glanced out the window of his bedroom, and he instantly noticed the moon suspended within the deep blue sky. Ayame blinked, wondering when and how long he had been asleep…and where in the world that blanket had come from. **(I dunno...maybe your hen-pecked daddy?)**

His thoughts instantly vanished when an overwhelming wave of nausea overcame him, and he clamped his hand over his mouth in restraint. "…I feel…really sick…!" he said out loud, as if anyone could hear. He swallowed hard and slowly turned to gaze out at the moon once more in an attempt to distract himself from his sickly state.

Suddenly, something within him shattered. Ayame, still in his school uniform, threw off the blanket over him and got to his feet in an unsteady manner. His trembling hand turned the doorknob, and before he knew it he had silently made his way through the hallway, down the stairs…and outside into the blue, moonlit darkness of the night.

Once he was outside, he made a run for it. Panting hard from fear, sickness, exhaustion, and hopelessness, he ran as fast as his legs would allow. His eyes stung from the wind lashing at his face, and he stumbled several times due to his ill state. He wasn't sure why he had been compelled to do this all of a sudden…perhaps his fear had taken him too far. Maybe he was hurting himself. Or maybe…he just wanted to escape. Escape from all that tormented him.

Time flew past at a rapid pace, and Ayame eventually found himself at a nearby park dotted red with autumn-touched maple trees. Knowing that he couldn't run any longer, the silver-haired boy collapsed on his knees underneath a nearby tree, his small shoulders heaving from the heavy breaths that escaped his throat. As his trembling hand grasped the trunk of the tree for needed support, he lifted his other hand to his head as a headache began to take over. The small, fragile boy was exhausted, weak, stressed, ill, and frightened…and these qualities, along with so many more, were enough to result in a loud_ poof_ and an explosion of white smoke.

Once the smoke subsided, a tiny white snake within a pile of clothing took the place of what had once been a trembling eight-year-old. Ayame lifted up his small scaly head and glanced at his cold surroundings with glittering black eyes before burying himself within his clothing for warmth. As the tiny shivering reptile became shielded from the world, he shoved his head underneath his coils and allowed the stinging tears to break free. And the force with which he cried was the equivalent to that of a lost child in the woods.

**********

**Preview: **Dear God, Aaya...man, I'm really putting you through hell, aren't I? I'm so sorry. *rubs eyes furiously with sleeves* You really deserve a break from all this angst...that would be nice, no? :3 The question is...how exactly will this break present itself? Will Hitomi get nicer? Will Kentaro grow a backbone and start sticking up for his son? Maybe a couple of friends will come along? Find out in the next chapter!


	8. Handsome Blossoms

**Chapter Seven: Handsome Blossoms  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **See previous chapters.

**Warnings: **(gasps) I…I can't think of any warnings!!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ayame or Fruits Basket! Quit making me say it!

**Chapter Notes: **Enter the other two-thirds of the soon-to-be Mabudachi Trio! (pumps fist in air, then pauses and sighs) My first non-angsty chapter…I wonder if I can really do it. …Of course I can! Ayame's life will soon look up…and the Mabudachi Trio simply rocks! :D

**********

Once again, another autumn day had surfaced with the rising sun. A calm zephyr gently hissed through the crisp leaves and only seemed to make the warm daylight more pleasant. Even to Ayame, who silently speculated over the large sea of rippling yellow grass before his eyes. The vast, beautiful meadow he occupied wasn't a new discovery; it lay not too far away from where he lived, and he visited its grassy splendor whenever his parents were out of the house, like today. The solitude that seemed to infest the field always remained ideal to Ayame's thinking…which was helpful, since he had been doing this quite frequently for the past week.

The silver-haired boy rested his head on his arms, which were propped up by his knees. Despite the pleasing sight of the meadow's shades of gold, his head remained filled with countless thoughts of the past week's events. His inner demons threatened to come to life once more towards the memories and plague the light of the day with black, and Ayame had to struggle to keep this from happening. And this proved to be hard to do.

He glanced downward, his sable eyelashes casting shadows over his cheeks. …_Surely there's something more to my life than this, _he thought darkly.

All of a sudden, his thoughts were literally knocked from his senses when he felt the impact of a medium-sized object flying into the side of his head.

Just as quickly, a new voice appeared out of the blue. "Shigure, you idiot! You just hit somebody!"

"I did not!" a second voice replied indignantly. "I…oh. You're right. Are you okay?"

The swirly-eyed Ayame didn't have time to respond before he fell into a violently-forced sleep.

Several minutes passed, and the snake's hazy golden eyes eventually reopened. He weakly glanced upwards towards the roof of leaves above his head, trying to recollect what had occurred just moments before, when he was suddenly met with a pair of large, curious-looking eyes.

"Are you awake?"

Ayame's eyes snapped open with instant shock at the figure beside him, and he instantly scrambled backwards. Only to run his head into the tree trunk behind him.

"H-hey…don't get knocked out again!" the same voice instantly said in a worried tone. "Try to be more careful!"

The dazed Ayame didn't hear. Confused, he turned his head to see a boy, who looked to be around his age, with soot-black hair and chocolate-brown eyes bowing towards him in a consistent manner. "I'm sorry!" he apologized. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't think anybody else would be out here, and I guess I kicked the ball a little too hard…"

The silver-haired boy sat up and immediately noticed a white soccer ball resting beside the other child's feet. _…Oh, _he thought, sweat-dropping. _I guess that explains it._

"So, do you think you're okay now?" Ayame twitched in surprise and turned to see another boy sitting beside him, gazing at him curiously. He was somewhat similar in appearance to his companion, only his eyes were a jaded green and his hair a midnight black.

The snake blinked, then averted his golden eyes to the ground awkwardly. "…I'm fine," he answered quietly.

"Whew! That's good," the brown-eyed boy sighed, smiling in the process. "Haa-san would've killed me if I ended up hurting you somehow."

"Would you quit calling me that?"

_…Haa-san? _Ayame's head glanced up in surprise. That name – or nickname, it seemed – sounded familiar to his ears somehow. He blinked, curious, and gazed up once again at the two arguing boys in front of him and studied their faces, searching for a clue as to why this was so. Seconds passed, and within that time, the realization came to mind. _These two are the ones that I've seen walking together to school almost every day. _As he absorbed the fact, Ayame blinked in a faint state of surprised concern. Why he found himself so intrigued by the information was unknown, but he tilted his head slightly in curiosity. _I wonder why they're out here._

The monotone voice of the green-eyed child pulled Ayame out of his thoughts. "So, why are you out here by yourself like this?" he asked, gazing inquisitively towards him.

Somewhat taken back by the question, the snake remained silent for a brief moment before answering. "…No reason. I was just thinking about something," he replied softly.

When he warily glanced back up, he found himself staring into the thoughtful brown eyes of the other comrade. "All by yourself?" he questioned. Shortly after, he added, "Being alone sounds like it would be boring to me."

Ayame didn't answer. _…It is._

Suddenly, the chocolate-brown eyes, once concerned, widened in excitement. "I have an idea!" the boy exclaimed loudly, startling Ayame. "You can play with us! It's better than sitting here all alone, isn't it?"

The midnight-haired boy stared thoughtfully at Ayame, then nodded in approval after a moment. "I don't mind…but don't force him to if he doesn't want to, Shigure."

"Aww…"

Ayame failed to hear the words that followed. His dimmed golden irises began to appear bright yellow with an unreadable gaze towards the grass. Along with the sensation of butterflies in his stomach, it seemed as if the autumn sun had grown warmer and brighter as it filtered through the reddening leaves. It was as if the cold darkness within Ayame's soul was beginning to diminish little by little, like the dying flame of a candle...which was more than strange to his web of emotions.

…Was this what happiness was like?

Suddenly, the heavy burden of reality sank down on him in an instant. He instantaneously shook his head and turned away from the two friends. "…It's okay. I don't want to bother you."

"You won't bother us!" the energetic boy protested. "We want you to! Please?"

Ayame instantly flushed again at the words, unbelieving that those words had ever come out of someone's mouth…and were directed towards him. Before he had realized it, the word escaped his colorless lips. "…Okay."

"Yay!" came the cheerful reply. The silver-haired boy, now feeling skittish, warily glanced up to see the same broad smile on the dark-haired child's face. "My name's Shigure!" he introduced, "and the boring guy with me is Hatori. He's also my cousin." As he said this, he pointed to his midnight-haired companion, who rolled his eyes at the previous remark before glancing over towards Ayame.

"Nice to meet you," he said, offering a friendly smile in the silver-haired boy's direction. Ayame shyly nodded in response.

"So, what's your—" Shigure began before suddenly pausing. He briefly narrowed his chocolate eyes at Ayame's face, and the silver-haired boy felt his shoulders stiffen in unease. After what seemed like forever, Shigure blinked, appearing to be confused. "…Are you a boy or a girl? It's hard to tell."

Ayame's golden eyes instantly narrowed, and a vein popped out on his forehead. "I'm a boy."

Shigure didn't seem to notice. He smiled broadly once more. "Okay, then. So what's your name?"

"…Ayame."

"Ah, Ayame. That's usually a _girl's_ name. Isn't it, Haa-san?"

The snake's eyes instantly narrowed in a glare of defense. "No, it's not!" **(Sorry, Aaya-kun…it is. ^.^;)**

Hatori, who had been silently watching the exchange of words between the two other children, decided to intervene when he noticed the silver-haired boy's reserved disposition fade to anger. He stepped closer to where the scene was taking place and laid his hand upon an oblivious Shigure's shoulder. "Shigure," he began, "why don't you lay off? Didn't you want him to come with us?"

Shigure's chocolate-brown eyes blinked, apparently confused. "But I'm not—"

"I know something that we could do, anyway." As his dark-haired companion and Ayame glanced towards him, the jade-eyed boy continued, "There's a stream not too far away from here that I found the other day. We could all go there."

Shigure's eyes instantly widened at the idea, and he began to jump up and down in enthusiastic excitement. "Yeah, let's do that! Let's do that, Haa-san!" he chirped towards Hatori, who simply rolled his eyes at him. Shigure turned to Ayame, who appeared somewhat puzzled, and flashed him a wide smile. "Come with us, Aaya!"

Ayame, whose expression once appeared surprised at Shigure's outburst, was now ashen. _…"AAYA?"_

However, his jumbled thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted when he glanced up and noticed the two anticipating visages of the dark-haired boys before him. The drawn-back feeling quickly returned to his senses; he wasn't sure whether he was apprehensive…or overjoyed. The latter seemed nearly impossible, for that particular emotion had been difficult to find recently. But perhaps…the warm feeling that had been forever masked by darkness had finally begun to awaken from its prolonged slumber.

At the thought, Ayame blinked, his pallid cheeks slightly red with blush. Several moments later, he stood up and nodded faintly.

"Yes!" Shigure exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. He grabbed Ayame's wrist and performed the same action with his. "We've got a new guy!"

Hatori instantly noticed the silver-haired boy flinch, and he narrowed his green eyes towards his dark-haired friend. "Idiot."

Ayame could only watch as their words began to sound distant. As his yellow irises remained locked on the ground, a warm sentiment overtook his mind, finally escaping from the folds of the black shroud that had forever concealed it.

*****

Minutes passed, and the three children were still making their way through the field of wheat and grass. Shigure seemed to do most of the talking within the small group as he chattered away about numerous topics, and Ayame and Hatori listened, with the occasional comment from Hatori. However, Ayame had hardly spoken at all. Sure, he had answered quietly whenever the peppy brown-eyed boy asked him something about himself, but he hadn't added any words to the various conversations that arose among them.

Anxiety had once more clouded the sunny feelings from earlier and threatened to submerge them in blackness. As Ayame gazed up towards the figures of his new companions, he paused and fell back in thought. Memories of all the cruelty he had faced from his classmates at school began to flood his head, and it was then that he began to question the situation with doubt. Were Shigure and Hatori really becoming his friends? Were they really inviting him to play with them because they wanted him to? Or…

_…Maybe they're just being nice to make fun of me…like everyone else, _he thought, golden eyes narrowing slightly.

"Hey, Aaya," Shigure whined, turning back towards the silver-haired boy. "You're too quiet back there! Come up here with us, okay?"

Ayame paused, feeling somewhat awkward. He still didn't know about that nickname Shigure was giving him. It sounded more like a name for a dog or a cat. "…Sorry, Shigure-san," he responded, bowing his head lightly.

He was instantly smacked hard on his back, and he jolted forward with a cough. The raven-haired boy laughed and said, "You talk too formally! You can just call us Shigure and Hatori. We're your friends now, right?"

Ayame failed to answer at first. _…Friends? _"Um…okay," he replied, somewhat lost within a daze. Friends, he had said. This was the first time he had ever been talked to like this, and he couldn't help but feel surprised…not to mention lighter. It seemed as if the weight of the dark memories on Ayame's shoulders had slowly begun to disintegrate…and it was all thanks to that one cheerful word. Despite this, Ayame couldn't help but ask himself something that had crossed his mind so many days prior to this one.

…Was it possible for him to be saved from the torment that had drowned him within its shadows for his whole life?

However, Hatori's voice was quick to jar him from his thoughts. "Shigure's right," he pointed out. "You've been pretty quiet for the past few minutes. Are you bored or something?"

Ayame shook his head. "It's nothing like that," he answered truthfully.

Hatori half-smiled in understanding. "I guess you're just shy. That's okay," he said. Turning towards Shigure, he muttered, "Try not to scare him off by being annoying."

"I won't scare him off!" the chocolate-eyed boy protested before turning to a curious Ayame. "See? He hasn't left yet!"

"…Whatever," Hatori answered, shaking his head. Turning towards Ayame, he added, "He's always like this. You'll get used to it eventually."

The silver-haired boy paused, blinking. Moments later, he allowed a small smile to appear upon his features in understanding. "Heh…okay."

"Whoa, look! We're already here!" Shigure exclaimed in delight.

Ayame and Hatori turned to gaze at what the dark-haired boy was staring at. Within their vision was a small stream that bubbled with crystalline water as it tumbled from several rocks. The tranquil sight of the water, as well as the grass and trees, was calming enough to Ayame, but what mattered more to the snake was that he wasn't seeing the prettiness of the scenery alone. Instead, he was seeing it with his friends…his first friends.

_My first friends. _His pallid cheeks flushed, and he bent down next to Shigure to observe the rocks within the stream. He smiled. "…It's pretty," he said quietly.

"It is!" Shigure agreed, smiling at the silver-haired boy. His gaze turned from the water to Hatori, who appeared content despite his somewhat-intimidating visage. "Good job, Haa-san!" he praised.

Hatori's once-placid gaze instantly vanished. "If you call me that one more time…"

Ayame failed to hear Shigure's protest in response. Evidently the sunlight had decided to unleash some of its summer warmth despite the changing of the seasons, and the silver-haired boy was currently regretting wearing a black long-sleeved shirt for this reason. _Stupid heat, _he thought grudgingly."…It's really hot all of a sudden," he said blindly to the two boys beside him, not expecting an answer.

Suddenly, Ayame's golden eyes snapped open when he felt something shove him from behind, and this was quickly accompanied by the brief sensation of falling forward. A loud splashing noise instantly broke the tranquil silence of the atmosphere before fading into a dying echo. It was then that the snake blinked in inquiry…and found himself sitting in water that submerged his chest downwards, his silver hair dotted with sparkling droplets.

Shigure's loud laughing instantly became known to his hearing, and he glanced up in surprise. The chocolate-eyed boy, who was knee-deep within the stream, doubled over in obvious amusement as he pointed at a soaking-wet, completely-stunned Ayame. "Is that any better?" he teased between snickers.

However, the dark-haired child was quick to fall silent when he was met with a pair of narrowed yellow irises. Shigure gasped when he suddenly felt himself being pushed backwards, and he soon found himself completely soaked through by the water which he had fallen in. As the splash that had been created from the event faded into the background, Shigure glanced upwards in obvious disbelief…and found himself gazing up at the figure of the silver-haired boy standing before him, eyes flashing with what appeared to be triumph.

"Take that."

As the two words left Ayame's lips and reached Shigure's ears, the dark-haired boy instantly stood up within the knee-deep water. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "You want to fight? Fine!" Milliseconds later, Shigure swept his hands through the water in a scooping fashion and thrust a giant wave of the liquid towards his unsuspecting friend, drenching him yet again.

Ayame was quick to respond. The silver-haired boy repeated the same action, and moments later the once-tranquil stream had turned into a watery battleground. Cold moisture waves and droplets flew into the air as Ayame and Shigure continuously splashed one another without mercy, and the normally-quiet atmosphere was quickly penetrated by sounds of laughter. And not just from Shigure.

The silver-haired boy shook his head as he was hit by yet another wave of water, and he smiled brightly in amusement as he once again repeated the action in Shigure's direction. It was somewhat hard for Ayame to remember the last time he had ever had so much fun before…and even harder to recall when he had last laughed or smiled as he was doing now. But it didn't seem to matter. The sadness, pain, and twisted feelings of sadness that had permanently tainted Ayame's life seemed to feel…lessened by the awakening effects of cheerfulness, ecstasy…and acceptance. Even if it was only the slightest bit, he could feel the black shroud being pulled back and giving life to warm light.

However, the thoughts dissolved when he opened his sun-colored eyes…and saw a completely-soaked Hatori standing between him and Shigure. Instantly, the two sweat-dropped when they saw the midnight-haired boy glaring at both of them as rivulets of water ran down his face. "…I'm going to kill you both." Suddenly grabbed Ayame's and Shigure's heads, he pushed them backwards and sent the two falling into the stream.

The pair quickly stood up, and the water fight resumed as the three children splashed each other without a care in the world, the autumn breeze carrying their joyous laughter…and the once-lifeless chiming laugh that was Ayame's.

*****

"Okay…I take back what I said earlier about it being hot," Ayame weakly said to the shivering pair near him. As a light gust of wind caressed his silver-white tresses, he held his arms closer to his trembling figure. Judging from the way the three children were huddled together, back-to-back, it was plain to see that the atmosphere was now cooler than before, despite the presence of the sun within the clear blue sky.

Shigure sneezed loudly and nodded. "Yeah. I didn't think it would be this cold…"

Ayame, as well as Hatori, nodded in agreement. As the silver-haired boy felt the chill on his cheeks die away, he turned his golden eyes towards the sun, which was yellow with late afternoon. Although his expression didn't show much, within his mind was a spiral-like mix of contented happiness and relief. As replays of the day's events began to reiterate themselves, he instantly felt grateful for everything that had happened. If he hadn't met Shigure and Hatori and accepted their kind invitation to play with them, he had an unmistakable feeling that his soul would have forever been left within the dark. Not to say that it wasn't there anymore…after all, the torment and suffering would forever leave him lost within its blackness. It was too late to be rid of the pain for good, and he knew that.

But at the moment, Ayame didn't mind. Here he was with his first true friends, friends that had appeared before him thanks to fate (or maybe Kimiko was looking out for her precious nephew?). The carefree joy he had experienced for the first time in a while had been so new to him that he wanted it to remain with him forever, and Ayame certainly hoped it would. Spending time with Shigure and Hatori was much better than watching the clock or playing songs that he had heard on the barely-used piano at home.

And after all…he could be saved _somewhat…_couldn't he?

Suddenly, a cold rush of air pushed the question away…and fear became implanted with Ayame's senses. A dull tingling sensation had entered his body all of a sudden…a sensation that Ayame had the misfortune to be quite familiar with. Whether it was the emotional stress that had taken its toll or the cold weather, he wasn't sure…but it was most likely the latter. Either way, the silver-haired boy was now scared of what could transpire.

_I can't transform now!_ he shouted within his mind, looking around frantically. He failed to notice that Shigure's and Hatori's curiosity was now drawn towards him. All he knew was that he had to hide somewhere from the cold…and not just to keep his family's ancient secret safe. _If they see who I really am, _Ayame thought, _they might freak out and run…or have to get their memories erased. No…that can't happen! Please…_

_ POOF!_

If the small snake curled up on the ground had the limbs for it, he would've punched himself in the face at this moment. _Too late._

Shigure and Hatori instantly jumped backwards at the explosion of white smoke before it finally diffused. When their widened eyes fell upon the pile of clothes that had once belonged to their golden-eyed companion, they looked towards each other with curiosity. This, however, was quickly replaced by realization.

Shigure suddenly took notice of the small movement within Ayame's black shirt. No more than a second later, the raven-haired boy grabbed the waterlogged item and gave it a shake, and a small white snake fell vertically through the sleeve and landed with a plop in the grass. The snake, better known as Ayame Sohma, gazed up towards Shigure and immediately gave a start, but Shigure had grabbed him by his neck before he could slither off to safety.

"Hey, Ha'ri!" Shigure exclaimed as he held up snake-Ayame, who had begun to turn an interesting shade of blue. "Looky, looky! Aaya's one of—"

_CHOMP_.

"OUCH!! Hatori, he's biting me!!" Shigure instantly yelled as an irritated Ayame sank his needle-like teeth into his hand. Hatori only looked on in both disbelief and exasperation (and amusement) as his friend proceeded to run about in circles with a white snake hanging on for his personal safety. The jade-eyed boy sighed and stood up.

"I don't care. Give me that," he said as he swiped Ayame out of Shigure's hands. Ignoring the whining of his friend in the background, Hatori turned his gaze towards the quivering snake sitting in the palm of his hand. "You wouldn't happen to be a member of the Sohma family, would you?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

Ayame's beady black eyes appeared somewhat lost. …What else could he do? He gave a sigh-like hiss and allowed his head to wilt. He nodded yes.

Hatori blinked, then turned away sweat-dropping. "I guess I should've known that by your hair and eye colors. I feel kind of stupid..."

Shigure was beside the two in an instant. "Whoa, no way!" he exclaimed towards the startled Ayame, who pulled back his neck in a strike pose. "Ha'ri and I are Sohma members too…and we're also part of the Juunishi! I'm the dog, and Ha'ri is the dragon." Shortly after, a small snicker escaped his throat. "Actually…Hatori's a seahorse."

Silence. Suddenly, Ayame turned his head and the sound of stifled laughter was instantly heard from his direction. At this, Hatori instantly used his free hand to grab Shigure by his collar. "Shigure…_shut up,_" he warned, "or I'll tell him about the time you—"

"Okay! I'll be quiet now!" the dog of the Zodiac whined as he wriggled free.

Meanwhile, Ayame lowered his scaly head in thought. _They're Sohmas? And members of the Zodiac? No wonder they looked so familiar. Maybe I saw them at New Year's once and just wasn't looking carefully. _The white snake sighed in self-directed stupidity. _Maybe I should actually pay attention to these things every once in a while…_

Suddenly, another loud _poof_ disrupted the moment, causing Hatori and Shigure to leap backwards as the cloud of white smoke appeared for the second time. Moments later, the smoke revealed Ayame in his human form once again, and the silver-haired boy quickly slipped into his clothing as the haze subsided. Once he was dressed, he failed to turn towards his friends as yet more questions overtook his mind.

_Wow…I met two Sohmas without even knowing it. Not only that, they're Zodiac members also. _As the statement passed through his mind, he felt an instant wave of relief wash over him. This was accompanied by…gratefulness? _Maybe this wasn't just by chance. _He gazed towards the ground, irises flickering. _But…somehow I feel really lucky._

"It looks like the sun's beginning to set," Hatori pointed out as he looked towards the orange ball upon the horizon. "If Shigure and I don't get back to the main house soon, the servants there will probably eat us alive."

Ayame blinked. "You live at the main house?"

"Yeah," the midnight-haired boy answered. "Where's your home at?"

The snake paused quite suddenly, then made a faint gesture towards the direction he came from. "…It's over there," he said as he began to sink into another cold trance. _Even though home isn't the word I would choose._

"Wait!" Shigure called, grabbing Ayame's and Hatori's attention. "We should come up with a name!" When his companions looked at him like they had no idea what he was talking about – because they didn't – he continued, "We're all cursed Sohmas, aren't we? Also, we're the same age, so we should make up a name for our little group."

Ayame and Hatori looked towards each other, then their raven-haired friend. "…I still don't get it," the dragon muttered. The silver-haired boy nodded in agreement.

"I've got it!" Shigure exclaimed quite suddenly. He pointed in the air dramatically as a curious background of spinning flowers began to occupy the space behind him. "MABUDACHI TRIO!!" **("Super handsome blossom trio.")**

It was easy to say that the snake and dragon appeared a little jolted by the idea. They faced each other darkly. _…Mabudachi Trio? What the…?_ However, Ayame happened to notice Shigure's now-hurt expression and instantly nodded. "Uh…that's a nice name," he lied as he glanced over towards Hatori in a hinting manner. The jade-eyed boy quickly interpreted his suggestion and nodded in false agreement.

"So it's settled! The Mabudachi Trio has been born! We shall overcome all forces of evil that threaten to stand in our way!" the dog added proudly. Ayame chose to keep quiet as Hatori grabbed Shigure by his ear and began to pull him away.

"You've been watching too much anime," he scolded. In the midst of his observation, he turned towards the silent silver-haired boy in fondness. "See you later, Ayame."

Ayame's golden eyes flickered as the words came to life and were repeated by Shigure moments later. Silence was all that surrounded him as he took in the three words. But the stillness of the evening atmosphere soon perished as the silver-haired boy smiled and felt the words escape his colorless lips. "…See you later!"

*****

Hitomi jumped in surprise when the front door suddenly opened and slammed shut, revealing a heavily-panting Ayame standing within the entrance. Judging from the way he wavered, it was evident that he had been running a long distance. The slender woman quickly recovered, however, and her sapphire eyes narrowed towards him in questioning. "Where in the world have you been this late? I've been wondering where you ran off to while we were gone. And why are your clothes soaking wet?" she demanded sharply.

_…If you really cared, you would've looked for me earlier. _"S-sorry, Mother," Ayame quickly apologized as he removed his shoes and made his way up the staircase. "I was just…walking and I tripped and fell in a puddle." _That was probably the worst lie ever_.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he paused and allowed the recollections of today's events to replay themselves within his head_. _As they began to subside within darkness, the silver-haired boy felt a small smile appear upon his effeminate face.

_"We're your friends now, right?"_

Within moments, he disappeared into the blackness of the hallway.

As the smaller silhouette vanished from his viewpoint, Kentaro glanced down towards the novel he was reading. He could slowly feel a smile make its way across his features, and the sound of Hitomi's aggravated muttering quickly faded into the background.

_…I wonder what's made him so chipper all of a sudden._

The midnight-haired man's dark brown eyes blinked in realization. That could have been the first time he'd seen his son's smile.

**********

**Preview: **Yay, Aaya-kun! It looks like you've finally received a break from all your inner turmoil! I'm pretty sure you, Shigure, and Hatori will be great friends. Anyone else with me? :D Now that Ayame has friends to call his own, how will their kindness towards him affect him? Find out in the next chapter!


	9. Summer in Winter

**Chapter Eight: Summer in Winter  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **See previous chapters.

**Disclaimer: **(begins trembling) M-must I say it? I…I don't own Ayame or Fruits Basket!

**Warnings: **A bipolar teacher, a stalker girl, and a crabby Hitomi. I bet you didn't see that third one coming! 8D

**Notes: **Since I'll be on vacation for a little while, it'll probably be another three weeks or so before I update a new chapter. Anyways, enter the fun chapter! Aaya has become friends with his cousins, Shigure and Hatori, and his life seems to have taken a slight turn upwards. Wonder if being in the same class with them would help make things better? Also, why has Hitomi been so ignorant? Why am I asking you these questions?! Skip this and read the darned chapter!

**********

"Wow. You actually saw that movie, Aaya?" Shigure asked in astonishment as he, Ayame, and Hatori made their way along the morning-misted sidewalk towards school.

The silver-haired boy nodded. "Yeah…my aunt told me it would help me realize that there are some things that seem real, but aren't. But it scared me so much that I locked myself in a closet until it was over."

The raven-haired boy beside him snickered and gave him a playful jab in his side. "Scaredy-cat!" he joked in a sing-song voice. As he did this, Hatori grumbled lightly in irritation. Today was not the dragon's day to be dealing with Shigure's hyperactive personality…especially since it happened to be the day he had not wanted to approach.

Ayame failed to notice Hatori's sour disposition and narrowed his eyes towards Shigure. "And this is coming from the same person who screamed like a girl when I cut my forehead on a piece of glass?"

"That's because you ran into that glass table and started crawling towards me like a zombie! And there was blood everywhere!"

"Because you ran behind me and practically pushed me into it."

"Not to mention how weird you sounded when you talked! 'Shigure, what did you do to my head?' Creepy!"

"What? I didn't sound like that!"

"Would you both just put a lid on it?!" Hatori suddenly snapped in aggravation. Realizing how mean he must've sounded, he sighed and ran a hand through his black hair in distraction. "…Sorry. I just hate it when a new school term starts."

"Me too," Shigure agreed, sulking. "I wanted winter break to last forever…"

Ayame blinked in sudden recollection. "Well…we're in the same class, aren't we?"

Shigure's brown eyes blinked in surprise. "Oh yeah! All three of us have…uh…some guy named Kirama-sensei." No more than a second later, his normal cheerful visage had faded to a darker, more mischievous one. "And you can bet we're going to cause him a lot of trouble…"

He instantly squeaked in pain as he was punched by a strangely-deadpan Hatori. "Those of us who have common sense aren't," he stated cynically.

Ayame only shook his head as the dragon and the dog instantly began another war of words. His shoulder-length tresses – which were once again even – swished lightly with the motion as swirling fog and the heavy scent of last night's rain hung around the three of them. The weighty coolness of mist and early winter began to bring back various memories to the snake as the three of them made their way towards school, and he blinked in passing recollection.

It had been a new experience for Ayame during the past couple of months. Then again, he found it to be of no surprise. The idea of talking with friends, laughing with them, and simply being near them had seemed almost completely alien to him for so long, and he had blocked the possibility out of his mind due to his…issues. Upon meeting Shigure and Hatori, it had been difficult for him to get used to so much attention. Of course, part of this could be blamed on his reserved attitude, but most of it he was sure resulted from the cruel memories of how his classmates mistreated him. Needless to say, Ayame barely came out of his shell around his two cousins, even after nearly three months had passed since he met them.

But this didn't mean that he didn't like them. He enjoyed their company greatly…especially Shigure's. The raven-haired boy was always full of spunkiness and boundless energy (much like his Juunishi spirit), and his carefree personality made him easy to get along with…even if he occasionally said or did things that made Ayame want to punch him in the face. However, he withstood his quirks and maintained a strong friendship with him. Hatori was much different. He was quiet, like Ayame, but seemingly colder. The silver-haired boy couldn't help but feel somewhat intimidated by his supposedly-expressionless stare and collected poise. But in a way, it was admirable. Ayame was glad he was able to remain on good terms with the dragon, and not only did he gain friendship, but reverence of the qualities that made Hatori seem so much like a leader.

Suddenly, the loud chiming of the school bell became known to the trio's ears, and this triggered a mini chain-reaction of shock between all three Juunishi children. "SHOOT! THE BELL!" all yelled as they instantly made a beeline for the elementary school's doors and rushed inside. Today was the beginning of a new school term…and the beginning of a new upbringing for a silent, silver-haired child that had been lost in the dark for so long.

*****

"Good morning, kids!" a tall, slender man with dark brown hair and glasses greeted in a bright manner. "Starting today, I'll be your teacher for the new semester. My name is Kirama, and I'm looking forward to a good term with all of you." The class of bright, eager children all nodded in response, but this silent motion was quickly terminated as all in the classroom turned to talk with fellow friends. This included Hatori, who was doodling on the cover of a new notebook, a quietly-whispering Shigure, and Ayame, who was listening to the dog's talking with interest.

"This teacher seems a little weird, doesn't he?" Shigure asked his moonlight-haired friend. "He sets off that mood that calls for…calls for…" He paused in deep thought.

"Jingly piano music?" Ayame suggested.

"Bingo!" Shigure exclaimed, causing Hatori to jump in alarm.

Apparently, the before-class commotion had become too much for the trio's new teacher. As the voices continued to come from every direction within the classroom, Kirama had remained as still as stone for the longest period…when suddenly…"OKAY, YOU LITTLE BRATS!! SHUT UP!!! THE BELL RANG!"

Every single child, including the Mabudachi Trio, instantly became so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Upon this reaction, Kirama instantly cleared his throat in slight embarrassment. "…Now then," he began slowly, "our first step to begin this term is to discuss what lessons we'll be doing…."

As the dark-haired man turned towards the board and began writing, Shigure cautiously leaned towards Ayame. "…Okay, maybe replace the piano with an organ. He has some sort of split personality or something. Don't you think so, Aaya?"

The spoken-to didn't reply. Rather, his golden eyes flickered back and forth from Kirama to Shigure. "Uh…maybe now isn't the best time to talk about this, Shigure," Ayame said timidly.

Hatori looked up from the crudely-drawn dragon he had scribbled on his notebook and looked over towards Shigure. "Ayame's right. So shut up."

Shigure blinked innocently. "But what if—"

"SOHMA, SOHMA, AND SOHMA!" Kirama instantly yelled without even turning around. The horrid screeching of chalk scratching against the board instantly caused the trio's hair to stand on end. "I'll let this slide as a warning, but try to avoid conversations during class. Save them for later."

As soon as the suddenly-calm Kirama continued his writing without as much as a twitching muscle, Shigure's large brown eyes blinked once. "…Okay, he's gotta have another side to him. I'll probably be deaf for the rest of the day from all his yelling."

Ayame felt an eye twitch in irritation. "You'll get us into trouble again, you know," he hissed quietly.

Suddenly, Kirama whirled around with close to a dozen veins pulsing upon his forehead. "TINKERBELL, KNIFE-EYES, AND CHATTERBOX!! IF I HEAR ANOTHER WORD COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTHS, I'M SENDING ALL THREE OF YOUR LITTLE BUTTS TO THE PRINCIPAL!!! UNDERSTAND?!"

Unsurprisingly, Ayame, Shigure, and even Hatori appeared as if they had just seen a ghost. As all grew completely silent, the dark-haired teacher flushed and turned around, scratching the back of his head nervously as he continued to write.

Shigure exhaled in distaste. "…Moron."

"_Shigure_!" Ayame and Hatori cried simultaneously.

"YOU THREE! GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS! ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE MAPS OF THE UNITED STATES! _NOW!!!"_

*****

"Urgh…I still have a cramp in my hand…" Shigure whined as he held up his throbbing hand towards Hatori and Ayame, who recoiled in disgust. The three Sohma children were perched upon a brick wall outside the school, their lunch boxes in their laps, and the sun peeked through the wispy clouds of winter and shone on their backs as they conversed without worry.

Hatori exhaled with lack of sympathy. "Maybe if you hadn't been talking, he wouldn't have made us copy those maps. Don't blame us."

"For someone like you, Haa-san, you sure know how to smart off…"

"Hatori has a point, though," Ayame said quietly, causing the two dark-haired boys to look towards him. The smaller boy shrugged lightly. "Oh, well...t least we don't have him for gym or music."

"True," Shigure replied quietly with a seemingly-distant expression. An instant after, his features lit up with sudden recollection. "Oh! I almost forgot! I drew this when Kirama-sensei was telling us about lessons and stuff. Check it out!" The chocolate-eyed boy proudly handed Ayame and Hatori a piece of paper he had withdrawn from his pocket…to be more exact, a poorly-drawn picture of Kirama running from a creature that resembled a dragon with a dog-like tail and three serpent-like heads.

Instantaneously, the silence was shattered as both Ayame and Shigure burst into convulsions of laughter, and even Hatori appeared to be fighting back snickers of his own. It was then that Ayame couldn't help but notice how cheerful he always felt around his two cousins, no matter what mood he happened to be in at the time. For eight years, his personality had never seemed to change. He was always the quiet person in the back of the classroom who never talked to anyone voluntarily, and he spent so many hours alone in his room being swallowed up by the shadows of darkness. His only happy moments surfaced whenever he had been around Kimiko, but she was gone forever, so he would never experience another happy moment with her again, as much as he wanted to deny it. Reserved, afraid, and psychologically disturbed: the words summed up his personality perfectly.

But ever since he had met Hatori and Shigure, a small amount of that had changed. He smiled and laughed more, and he allowed himself to talk more openly whenever he was with them. It almost appeared as if a new side to Ayame had surfaced upon meeting them. A more social, cheerful, and confident side that made him feel as if the warmth of light never ceased to shine upon him…the sweet caress of light resulting from happiness. Although he knew he would be forever scarred by the painful past experiences that had taken their toll on his mind, the sadness and suffering somehow seemed to vanish completely whenever he was with his friends.

It was such a good feeling to be so carefree and alive, and Ayame hoped it would remain with him for the rest of his life.

"Hey, what's this green stuff that Mom put in here? It looks funny," Shigure suddenly observed as he poked at a small green mass with his chopsticks.

Ayame, jarred from his thoughts, turned towards him curiously. "You've never eaten wasabi bef—_Shigure, wait_!!"

"GYAAAHH!" Shigure yelled instantly as he jumped down from the wall and spastically began to fan himself from the stinging sensation inside his mouth. "IT'S BURNING MY NOSE!! WATER! WATER!!! I NEED WATER!!"

Both Ayame and Hatori fell off the wall.

*****

"Woo! Recess!" Shigure cheered as he enthusiastically pumped a fist in the air. "Only the best time of the school day!"

Hatori roughly ran a hand through his short hair in annoyance. "You say the same thing every time we come out here…it gets old, you know."

"So? Aaya agrees with me, don't you?" he asked Ayame, throwing his arm around the smaller figure in a friendly – as well as bone-crushing – hug.

The silver-haired boy coughed lightly and squirmed out of his reach. He glanced over towards the side in an unsure manner. "I suppose." _When you don't have the experiences I've had during recess._

Shigure huffed in disapproval. "Aw, come on, Aaya! You're sounding as boring as Haa-san!" he whined.

The snake instantly felt the weight of belittlement drop on his head. "It's great to know that you think so," he responded icily. Suddenly, he gave a start and shook his head. "Not that it's bad or anything, Hatori...!"

Hatori, who was somewhat off in his own world, responded, "Don't worry about it, Ayame."

"I was only kidding…no need to look all depressed!" Shigure protested.

"No you weren't."

The raven-haired boy whimpered as fake tears streamed down his cheeks. "Haa-san, you're so mean to me!"

Ayame only smiled and averted his gaze towards the winter sky in contentment. Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of footsteps behind him, and he turned to meet the figure of Tamaki standing before his eyes, his signature smirk across his features. The silver-haired boy instantly took a small step backwards, feeling somewhat nervous as memories of inner torture began to awaken within his mind.

Tamaki apparently noticed his unease and snickered dryly when he saw the oblivious figures of Shigure and Hatori beside him. "What's this, princess?" he taunted with pure sadism. "You're so scared of me that you have bodyguards now?"

However, his conceited visage was quick to fall to one of anxiety when he suddenly noticed those familiar sun-colored irises narrowing towards him. Even to him, the strong bitterness and hatred flickering within the glaring golden pools was overpowering, almost hypnotizing. Tamaki felt a shiver instantly run down his spine as he took a wavering step backwards. "…Q-quit looking at me like that with those freaky eyes! I mean it!"

Unfortunately for him, he came close to passing out when he was met with two new pairs of sharp (actually curious) eyes: the chocolate-brown eyes of Shigure and Hatori's slanted jade-green orbs. He suddenly found himself shivering all over, and he pointed a trembling finger to the trio as he choked out, "Y-you won't get off so easy on this, s-snake-charmer! I'm not afraid of any of…!"

Tamaki didn't even bother to complete his sentence as he bolted off with a shriek.

"…Who the heck was that?" Hatori asked, blinking. "Was I making a scary face or something?"

"Your face always looks scary, Haa-san!" Shigure snickered before he was silenced by a punch to the face from the dragon.

Ayame simply blinked at the retreating figure of Tamaki, which had rapidly grown smaller. "…Just somebody I know," he answered.

Suddenly, the silver-haired boy and his dark-haired companions jumped backwards as a small, blonde-haired girl came forward seemingly out of nowhere. It wasn't exactly her sudden approach that bothered him…it was the stars that seemed to be shooting inside her violet irises that caused him to take a step back in utter shock. And to add more to the pile, it appeared as if the girl, Fuka **(from Chapter 3, remember?)**, had been following him around all day. It was hard not to notice the quick blurs that always shot past him out of the corner of his eye lately.

Before he could make a sound, Fuka instantly opened her mouth and allowed words to pour out. "Roses are red, and violets are blue…daffodils are yellow, and your gorgeous eyes are, too. Winter snow is white, silent as the dead, but your hair is purer than that of moonlight thread~" the blonde slowly began to recite in a strange line of rhythmic poetry. **(Just...don't say anything about that. I'm not a poet.)**

It was easy to say that Ayame appeared a little…daunted towards the sing-song words that Fuka openly said to him. If one looked closely, the vision of the silver-haired boy's soul floating out of his chest was plainly visible as Hatori struggled to hold back a snicker in the background. However, a spazzing Shigure gazed with wide brown eyes towards the sparkling girl with a look of pure horror on his face…

"ACK! GIRL! RUN!" he yelled, and he instantly swept Ayame and Hatori underneath his arms. Seconds later, the three disappeared in a large cloud of dust, leaving a completely-oblivious Fuka behind in the dust.

*****

"So, how was your first day for the new term, Ayame-san?"

"...It was okay."

"That's good. Is your teacher nice?" the car's driver asked. _Wow...he's actually answering me, for once._

Ayame paused briefly before answering. "He has a few mood issues, I think. But I guess he's alright."

"Oh…I see," came the skeptical reply.

Without much interest in continuing the conversation between him and the driver, Ayame turned to gaze out the window. If he looked carefully, he could spot the flakes of snow that had begun to drift from the gray sky and dance lightly in the breeze. Although Ayame hated winter, mostly because he was more susceptible to transforming from the cold weather, he admitted to himself that the snow-dotted scenery was calming to his senses, as well as somewhat bewitching.

It wasn't long before a tingling sensation made itself known within Ayame's spine, and he instantly grew tense. He didn't have to turn around and face the person sitting next to him to know that he was being watched…or rather, glared at as he felt the cold chill of Hitomi's blue eyes narrowing towards his figure. Despite the instant discomfort that began to build up inside his mind, Ayame forced himself to pretend he didn't notice a thing. Although the hatred radiating from his mother's eyes was so overpowering that he felt as if he could simply face her and get it over with, he didn't. He didn't want her to have the satisfaction of seeing his fear…or what was left of it, that is.

But the hateful staring became too much for Ayame. Slowly, he turned towards Hitomi, golden irises flickering only the slightest bit. With much reluctance, the silver-haired boy slowly allowed a weak smile to appear across his pallid features.

The reaction was instantaneous...and expected. Hitomi's glare only intensified, but she didn't strike her son. Instead, she merely turned to face a different direction, the same sour expression fixated upon her features.

Ayame turned away and silently breathed a sigh of relief, noting to himself how childish his mother had appeared as the winter snow silently fell to the ground.

*****

"Welcome back," Kentaro greeted as the front door opened and presented before him an irate-looking Hitomi and a shuddering Ayame (he naturally assumed the poor boy was cold). The midnight-haired man felt a gentle swish of trailing blonde hair as Hitomi brushed past him without a word, and he shrugged and averted his brown eyes back to his novel. However, he was quick to glance up in surprise when he heard a small, timid voice break the tense silence within the room.

"…Um…I'll be doing my homework in my room…if you need me," Ayame said quietly into the dimmed room, most likely speaking to Hitomi judging by the way his golden eyes seemed to dance in anxiety. Kentaro could only stare at the small boy with surprised coffee-brown eyes. …_I've never seen him behave this way before. Did something happen?_

Suddenly, the quiet of the house was shattered once again by a loud cracking noise, and Ayame and Kentaro froze in instant shock. When the sound of crackling had faded into the background, Ayame stared wide-eyed at the broken pieces of glass before his feet and the amber liquid running down the wall. Within what seemed like hours later, the silver-haired boy turned towards Hitomi silently, hurt apparent within his yellow irises, and quickly slipped up the stairs and vanished from sight.

As Kentaro's dark brown eyes watched the small figure disappear from view, he sighed, set his book down, and adjusted his glasses before standing up. Turning to face a rather cross-looking Hitomi, he allowed his voice to break the mute tension within the atmosphere. "…I don't think that throwing your tea at him was the best move you've ever made," he said softly, gesturing towards the hot fluid flowing down the wall and pooling around the broken china pieces.

His hesitant expression slowly faded to a small, content smile. "But you certainly aren't as harsh to him as you were a few months ago," he observed as he lightly wrapped his arms around his wife's slender waist.

Hitomi regarded him cynically. "Why do you care?" she asked.

"Well…" Kentaro thoughtfully replied. "Maybe because he's my son, too, and I don't exactly like seeing him suffer at your hands?"

The sapphire-eyed woman simply grumbled and wiggled out of her husband's embrace, vanishing from sight and leaving a confused Kentaro in her wake.

*****

"Stupid teacher," Ayame muttered to himself as he stared at the endless amount of math problems on the pages before his eyes. "He gives us a bunch of homework on the first day back and doesn't even tell us how to do it…" With irritation, the silver-haired boy whipped out a pencil, a sheet of notebook paper, and a calculator from his school bag. "I guess it's now or later," he added as he began to work out the first problem. _What else do I have to do, anyways?_

As the question exited his mind and he wrote the numbers with passing disinterest, his memory traced him back just minutes before, when Hitomi had thrown her cup of tea at him in a bout of silent rage. Upon remembering the scene, he paused momentarily. It had been one of the few scattered acts of anger that had taken place over the three-month period since he had become friends with Shigure and Hatori. …One of the very few.

Although Ayame had been less attentive of Hitomi's actions lately (thanks to a certain dog and dragon), one thing he couldn't help but notice was that she seemed much different than before. Rather than shouting at him or hitting him whenever she got the chance, Hitomi Sohma seemed to be shutting Ayame away from her viewpoint. She hardly ever hit him or yelled at him anymore – sometimes she went entire days without giving him so much as a glance.

In fact, she seemed to be ignoring him completely.

Maybe it was because she was finally loosing her power over him due to her son's awakening cheerful side…and she was struggling to keep it balanced by shutting him out of her sight.

Ayame felt himself losing his thoughts as the sound of the clock's hourly chime sang downstairs. Mixed emotions coursed through his veins like the blood that ran through them, and the atmosphere grew as still as the snowy scenery outside his window. Somehow, the thought instantly struck a chord within his mind…a melancholy chord of dark realization and awakening solitude.

_…I don't even belong in this house anymore…_

A soft tapping noise was heard as the pencil Ayame was holding fell from his grasp and clattered to the floor, rolling a short distance away before stopping. The distant sound was followed by a faint thud as the snake allowed his head to fall into his math book.

"…I don't get it." _If I'm not even wanted here, why am I still here?_

_**********_

**Preview: **Oh, Aaya. :( Your sadness still fails to leave you, doesn't it? Cheer up, though...things will improve, as long as you don't let Hitomi get to you too much! :D A new person enters Ayame's life in the following chapter...anyone want to take a guess at who it is? He/she is someone else important within his life...and no, this person is not an OC (or Yuki). Find out who this person is in the next chapter!_  
_


	10. Spring

**Chapter Nine: Spring  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **See previous chapters.

**Disclaimer: **As said before, I don't own Ayame or Fruits Basket. Only the story is mine.

**Warnings: **Lots of cuteness and fluffy stuff. Beware the fluff!

**Chapter Notes: **Aaya seems to be doing much better in life, thanks to his buddies Shigure and Hatori! However, the poor little snake is still left in the dark, thanks to Hitomi's hatred, but suppose that someone else appears to pull him from the shadows. And new feelings that Ayame didn't know he had begin to awaken. Oh! And as of now, every season has presented itself inside this story! And I find it necessary to point out that this chapter isn't really that pivotal to the story...or maybe it is, ha ha. I mainly wrote it for fun, but I'll try to squeeze it into something important later on. Okay...I'll shut up now. Enjoy!

**********

Winter had died at last, and spring had taken its place. The white snow that blanketed the ground each morning had melted, and the grass, once brown, had turned green with life. The snow had also been silenced by a rain of pale-pink cherry blossoms, and the petals that drifted within the breeze rested gracefully upon Ayame's silver hair, much to his annoyance.

He lightly brushed his bangs away from his eyes. The stillness of the spring atmosphere had also been easy to notice. Aside from him, there were only a few other people within the park he had entered, which came as a surprise. And his ghostlike footsteps and the hissing breeze through the sakura only intensified this observation. It was as if time had frozen still – even the stream nearby seemed to stop flowing – and he was the only one who knew this. It was a heavy feeling that made Ayame feel more lost than ever.

No more than a moment later, Ayame's golden eyes flashed in frustration._ Not true…I'm not lost. …Right?_

Suddenly, a blur of motion appeared within his vision. Turning, Ayame was quick to notice the figure of a person running towards him at a surprising speed…a person whom he quickly realized was a girl. The circumstances became clear at this point, and with a frantic impulse, he stepped backwards off the path, dodging just in time to hear a heavy thud on the ground.

All was silent within the spring atmosphere as Ayame gazed at the smaller figure lying in a heap before him. A sense of guilt instantly filled his mind, despite that he knew what would've happened had he stopped her, and he hesitantly held out his hand towards her. "…Excuse me…do you need some help?"

A moment later, a light rustle was heard as the girl slowly pushed herself onto her knees. Noticing Ayame's presence beside her, she blinked curiously and turned towards him, looking into his yellow-tinted irises.

The very second her eyes, which were the color of dark chocolate, met his gaze, Ayame nearly fell back in shock when a strange sensation shot through his chest. His heart began to thump loudly inside his head, but this was the least of his worries; it was difficult for him to not notice the warmth creeping up on his cheeks or the clouding dizziness growing within his mind. The unknown impression was beginning to make him feel ill, yet it was also a feeling that made him feel comforted and safe from darkness. Yet it hurt…as if he was being crushed by an invisible weight only inside his mind.

He was suddenly pulled from his daze as he felt a hand touch his lightly, and he blinked in time to see a bright, shining smile upon the girl's face. He instantly felt his face flush again, and he quickly stood up and helped her get to her feet, turning away as if bored.

She lightly brushed off the front of her skirt before adjusting her round glasses upon her nose. Turning towards Ayame, she smiled and piped, "Sorry for almost running into you. Thank you for helping me up!" Judging by her round face and chirpy voice, she was around five or six years old.

"…It's fine. No problem," Ayame quietly replied. He made a move to leave, but he stopped when she suddenly ran beside him.

"Hey, wait!" the girl cried. "What's your name?"

"…Ayame."

"Ayame?" the girl repeated before smiling again. "That name's pretty. It sounds like the flower," she added with wonder in her eyes **("ayame" is Japanese for "iris")**. "My name's Mine Kuramae. It's nice to meetcha!" As the silver-haired boy simply nodded in reply, Mine peered at him and asked, "Are you all by yourself?"

_It's almost like I can't breathe. _"Uh…yeah," Ayame replied, trying to clear his mind of the annoying fog that was starting to invade it. Now that he was fully focused, curiosity was starting to take hold of him. "…You're by yourself too, aren't you?" he asked.

"Not really," Mine replied. "My big sister Naru is somewhere near here, but she's talking to somebody on the phone, so she let me go off on my own." The silver-haired boy gave a simple nod in understanding.

Ayame suddenly noticed Mine's thoughtful stare, but she spoke before he could ask her if anything was wrong. "I think being all alone is kinda boring, don't you?" the dark-haired girl asked as a faint breeze caused her two braided pigtails to sway lightly.

_Shigure said something like that when we first met, _the snake thought passively. "…I guess so," he answered, feeling the same breeze blow several petals in his direction. He shook his head to remove them from his silver hair, and they fell gently to the ground.

"Hey! I got an idea!" Mine suddenly exclaimed, and she began to suddenly jump in excitement, much to Ayame's surprise. "You can be my friend! That would be fun!"

"…" For what felt like the one-hundredth time within the past few minutes, Ayame felt his cheeks turn wine-red with blush. He felt like running away and leaving her behind, but he didn't. No…it was as if he didn't want to.

Mine seemed to notice his apparent unease, for she tilted her head and asked," Is something wrong?" Ayame was quick to shake his head and say that no, everything was fine, he just felt sick for some reason. And this wasn't far from the truth.

"Okay!" the dark-haired girl chirped as her tiny hand touched his lightly. "Hey, I know! We could go check out this—" As suddenly as she had started, Mine fell silent, her large eyes blinking curiously at Ayame's pale (yet flushed) face.

The silver-haired boy's yellow irises mirrored the same questioning stare. "Um…what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

A second later, Mine's small hands were carefully inching towards the sides of his face, and Ayame instantaneously flinched in surprise. However, he didn't seem to move quickly enough, for he instantly felt the cool temperature of her hands upon his silky hair. His face instantly flooded with warmth, and as much as he wanted to escape this mysterious sick feeling he was drowning in, he was frozen. Frozen in place like an ice statue, unable to move.

And suddenly, his vision seemed a lot clearer than it did when he first got here. He blinked towards the sky and the sakura trees in faint confusion, and then he turned and saw Mine's smile light up like a firefly.

"You're so cute when your bangs aren't hanging in your eyes!" she said as her dark brown eyes twinkled behind her glasses. Amusingly enough, she had parted the snake's bangs with both of her hands, causing the shield of silky platinum hair to look like a stage curtain before a play. A silver-white stage curtain that revealed to her two sun-colored amber irises lined by shadow-casting eyelashes.

Ayame blushed heavily as his heartbeat continued to flutter rapidly. Not just because the shield that concealed his eyes had been rendered useless, but because Mine's tiny hands were the ones that held back the pale strands, and her eyes were so large and sparkling and full of life. And her smile was so…

He turned away slowly, allowing his bangs to fall back in place as he stifled a bout of nervous laughter. …_CUTE._

Luckily for him, Mine didn't seem to notice his reaction. Instead, she lightly tugged Ayame's sleeve, causing him to turn around. "You know, there's a creepy graveyard that's behind those trees," she chirped, gesturing towards a row of sakura trees nearby. "We should go check it out! I heard it's haunted."

He remained silent as a sweat-drop slowly ran down the side of his head. _An old cemetery…I thought most people tried to avoid those places, _he thought with an ill feeling.

However, Mine's chirpy voice disrupted his thoughts. Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand, her brown irises dancing in excitement as she added, "Come on! Let's go!" Within a second she and Ayame had long left the petal-flecked pavement, their running footsteps echoing distantly within the park's silence.

As the springtime scenery began to go by in slow motion, Ayame could only remain silent as he gazed at the cheerful girl's silhouette in front of him. And noted how warm her hand felt around his. The redness instantly returned for the billionth time to his cheeks, and he lightly put his free hand to his forehead, concerned. Just as he thought. Warm.

_…What the heck is wrong with me? _he asked himself as the breeze caused his hair to fly in milky strands about his face. More importantly…why did he feel so scared of being near her…and yet so comforted that darkness seemed out of reach?

*****

"…Wow…look at how creepy it looks," a suddenly-rigid Mine spoke quietly.

"…I can see why people think it's haunted," Ayame quietly added as a shiver ran down his spine. The two children stood before a small, worn cemetery that lay just behind the cherry blossom trees dotting the stream. It was apparent that where the sakura didn't fall, the park ended, giving way to a gray background of woods and trees with warped limbs. All the two could do was stare at the rows of small gravestones, some toppled, some barely upright, and crumbling angel statues before their eyes in silent nervousness. Nearby, a raven cried, adding to the ominous details that made the area so…well, ominous.

_Okay…this is definitely not the spot I would've chosen to come to, _Ayame thought with a shudder. He felt a cool wind caress his face, and within its hiss a faint whispering sound that caused him to shudder again. With a shake of his head, he hurriedly gazed down at the withered grass. _It's only your head, this place isn't haunted…._

Suddenly, he felt something grasp the soft white fabric of his shirt, and he turned to see a shivering Mine clutching his sleeve, her large eyes wide and searching as she huddled up to him. "I'm kind of scared, Ayame-kun…" she squeaked, turning her head swiftly when she heard a branch snap nearby. She chuckled shakily. "Only a bird!"

The silver-haired boy felt his hair stand on end as he looked at the branch on the ground (what bird?), but the thought was lost as he found himself staring at the tiny hand curled into his sleeve. He didn't say anything, just watched as its owner looked around in unease, curling her fingers into it tighter. Normally, he would've said something about how her hold on his sleeve was making him skittish…why was he so speechless now?

"Um…maybe we should sit down or something," Ayame suggested quietly. Pushing all thoughts of any unwanted entities away from his mind, he sat down on the soft grass. When he heard a rustle beside him, he knew that Mine had sat down as well.

For a moment, all was silent as petals fell within the graveyard, brightening the gray with a velvet pink hue. Despite the beauty of the spring scenery, Ayame felt strangely anxious. This beauty had rendered all but a softly-humming Mine sitting beside him silent. While serene, the calmness seemed incredibly nerve-wracking to the eight-year-old.

Ironically enough, Mine's voice broke the silence instantly. "So, why is your hair like that?" she asked curiously. The dark-haired girl studied Ayame's silver tresses closely, and she felt tempted to hold it between her fingers and see if it was as soft as it looked.

Ayame, knowing he couldn't tell her the real reason behind his abnormally-colored hair and eyes, studied a strand idly. "I don't know," he said. "It's been this color ever since I was born. Same for my eyes." Noticing Mine's questioning stare, he couldn't help but smile. "Pretty weird, huh?" he asked with a laugh.

"No!" Mine exclaimed, startling him. He stared into her hazelnut eyes with confusion. "I don't think your hair looks weird at all," she added, shaking her head. Noticing how surprised Ayame appeared at that statement, Mine smiled and added, "I think it's really neat! I wish I had cool hair like that."

Yet again, more blush. "…Um…thank—"

Suddenly, something struck him before he could say another word. A new curiosity had risen within his mind, as silently and as quickly as the stealthiest of predators closing in on its prey. Without a word, he deserted any present thoughts, unaware of Mine's voice asking what was wrong. "…Mine-san?"

The dark-haired girl instantly turned towards his voice. "What is it?" she asked. "And it's Mine-_chan. _You're my friend, right?"

No use stopping it now. The words were forming. In a soft voice that was nearly taken away by the wind, the silver-haired boy turned and asked, "…If you knew someone who had a curse, what would you think?"

Mine's eyes blinked in confusion. A curse? What did he mean? She began to ask him, but no sound came out when she found herself looking into a pair of darkened amber orbs. _Why does he have that look in his eyes? _"…I don't understand," she admitted.

Ayame remained quiet for a moment, feeling the darkness of inner demons coming to life within his head. He couldn't stop them. "If somebody you knew turned into…an animal or something like that, just because you hug them. Would you hate them?"

Silence was the reply, as Mine appeared to be lost in thought, but the dark-haired girl glanced up with an answer at last. With a perky smile, she replied, "If it was a person I really liked, I would still like them. I don't think it would matter what they were!" She suddenly paused, then smiled crookedly. "But if they turned into an animal whenever I hugged them…that would make me feel kinda sad. 'Cause I couldn't show them that I liked them."

The silver-haired boy absorbed her thoughts heavily, feeling a heavy rush of something dark and bittersweet flood his mind. "…Even if what they turned into was something really weird?" He paused. "Like a snake?"

Mine blinked before answering. _A snake? That's sorta creepy. But still… _"Yep!" she piped. "I'd still think they were the greatest person ever, no matter what they were."

Ayame knew he had his answers, but somehow it wasn't enough. "…But you would have to feel afraid or sad somehow. You wouldn't always be happy around that person, right? You'd feel upset, angry, or frightened by them, wouldn't you?" The little girl only stared at him as he looked up at her, a barely-noticeable smile of inner pain upon his pallid features. "…Maybe even sickened?"

Mine found it difficult to bring herself to speak the moment her gaze fell upon those golden eyes once again. To her, the yellow irises resembled cracked mirrors reflecting her image, and within these cracked mirrors she could see the sentiments within his heart. Emotions of darkness, hurt, and rejection, ones that made her feel as if she was drowning within pools of gold her, it felt almost…scary.

"…I might be a little bit scared at first," the little girl finally began, forcing herself to turn away from the serpent-like eyes that seemed to go right through her. "But if there was some way that I could take away their sadness, then I would!" She got no reply. Curious, she turned towards Ayame and asked, "Why did you want to know?"

The little girl fell silent when she noticed a smile upon Ayame's face. It was the first one she'd seen on him since they'd met. "…I was just wondering," he replied warmly.

Mine smiled broadly. For some reason, she was more than glad to be in this boy's company; he wasn't loud and obnoxious like all the others that she knew, and it was nice to be with someone quieter for a change. On top of that, she had never thought that a boy could be so pretty! His silver hair and ivory skin – even that smile – made his golden eyes more beautiful, and she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter whenever she looked at him. She counted her lucky stars in gratitude and felt glad that she had befriended this mysterious soul.

Ayame couldn't help but feel the same way. Most children would be running about on the playground or splashing each other in the stream nearby, but he was sitting beside a girl he had known for nearly an hour. In a graveyard, no less. Yet somehow, Ayame was having a great time. Although the two of them didn't speak or move for a while, he was having fun. Maybe it was because Mine was so friendly and easy to talk to.

However, he knew that all things came to an end, and the warm feeling slowly began to wear away thanks to the awkward silence. Determined to keep it alive, Ayame branched out a topic of conversation. "So…why is this graveyard haunted?" he asked as his golden eyes flickered apprehensively among the crumbling stones. He knew it was a dumb question; anyone who set their eyes on this place would be able to venture a guess or two.

Mine's smiling visage faded to a mirrored expression of the ivory-skinned boy. "Well…someone said that there was a lady who was gonna get married in the woods, but her groom never showed up…so she went to look for him and he suddenly jumped out with a knife in his hand! And he stabbed her and killed her and buried her somewhere in here." The dark-haired girl paused to swallow her apparent uneasiness. "So now she haunts this place looking for him so that she can get back at him…"

Ayame felt a shiver run down his spine as he grew more frozen than the cracked angel statues nearby. "Uh…really?" If there was one thing (other than Shigure's boredom) that frightened Ayame, it was ghost stories.

"Uh-huh," Mine answered with a shaky tone. "And even in the daytime, she shows up when people who really like each other are around." And the very second she spoke these words, her face paled beyond all recognition as her wide brown eyes stared towards a fixed point beside one of the graves. "Like…RIGHT NOW…!"

"_WHAT_?! Where?!"

Ayame instantly felt a colliding pain upon his forehead, and he opened his eyes in to find out what had happened…and froze. When he had turned his head to see what Mine was pointing at, he hadn't expected to suddenly hit his head against something…or end up in his current situation. It was similar to a scene he remembered seeing on the shows Hitomi often watched; after two people confessed their love, they neared closer and to one another until their lips touched for a little while. It was something that a child like him didn't understand…only that it was something adults did to proclaim their undying compassion for each other (ick!). An action that bonded two people together by some unseen force and set out the path for their journey together.

It was an act of love, of something he hardly understood. For easy-to-guess reasons.

And yet, here he was in the same situation. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into Mine's wide, curious orbs, which were just centimeters away from his. The two of them were so close together that Ayame could feel the coolness of Mine's forehead against his bangs, closer to her than what was comfortable. But what struck Ayame the most was that he couldn't breathe. For his and Mine's lips were touching.

Time had frozen as solid as ice over a lake…so did Ayame. _...Kiss...?!_

Instantly, he and Mine backed away gagging and struggling for breath. As Ayame inhaled breaths of fresh air, his face flushed darker than ever before. At the moment his mind was racing and trampling over itself like an elephant stampede, erasing all the sounds surrounding him except for his pounding heart. The shock from the event became too much for him, and his flushed face instantly became drained of its ivory shade at the memory.

Mine soon noticed. "Eek! You don't look so good, Ayame-kun!" she cried, her brown eyes widening. "Your face is all white! Well, it was white already, but still…that's not good! Are you okay? You look like you're about to throw up!"

The suddenly-ill Ayame noted at how good Mine was at stating the obvious. He also noticed that she was good at talking…a lot. "I'm okay," he answered in a fragile tone. He managed to force a weak smile and added, "Really…I'm perfectly fine!" _Why the heck am I getting so sick all of a sudden? That was completely on accident!  
_

"You are _not _fine!" came the frantic reply. Mine clenched her fists together tightly as she asked, "Do you need some water? Something to eat? What can I do?!"

"Nothing, I told you I'm okay…" _I wish. I don't even know why I feel so weird.  
_

The dark-haired girl didn't listen as her face suddenly brightened with an idea. "I know what will help!"

Ayame turned his head slightly when Mine's movement caught his attention. She sat down beside him and gingerly set his head in her lap, earning a startled reaction from the ailed snake. However, she quickly subdued him with a thump to his shoulder. "My sister always does this when I'm not feeling good," she told him with a sunlight-conquering smile. "Whenever she does, I feel better right away!"

The silver-haired boy didn't reply. He felt incredibly odd, yet he could care less. There was something within Mine's action that kept him shielded from his dark memories…it was almost as if he was resting in the lap of an angel in white. It made him feel safe and cared for in this spring-fragrant world of cherry blossoms and quiet solace. His sable eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly's wings when a cool breeze swayed his silver hair, and he became unaware that Mine was stroking it like a cat. To him it felt…_motherly._

"Any better?" Mine asked cheerfully.

"…Sure."

The sakura petals floating lazily upon the air and the stillness of the air had made him feel lonely. It was as if time had frozen still – even the stream nearby seemed to have stopped flowing – and he was the only one alive to feel that way. Such a feeling was one that had made Ayame feel more lost than ever.

_Maybe I'm not so lost after all._ As the snake slowly felt his sickness giving way to serenity, his head remaining at rest in Mine's lap, a second thought passed through his mind. _…There's __no way__ I'm ever telling Shigure about this._

*****

"...And when I told him there was a thumbtack in his chair, he had already sat down and didn't hear me. Then he started running in circles and making these crazy noises for several minutes. He _still_ thinks I didn't tell him on purpose."

"Haha!" Mine laughed cheerily, gently clutching her aching sides. "You're really good at telling funny stories, Ayame-kun!"

The silver-haired boy flushed and laughed sheepishly. "I'm not so sure about that," he responded.

Mine giggled once more and chimed, "I think you are! Especially when you told me the one about - "

A second later, she heard her name being called and glanced through the sakura. It wasn't Ayame…he was too close nearby. The only other person Mine could think of was her older sister, Naru. As she glimpsed the shape of someone waving at her through the petals, she smiled and waved back. "Onii-chan!"

Ayame turned as a teenage girl with short brown hair appeared within a short distance from the graveyard. Judging by what Mine had called her, she was the elder sister that she had mentioned. Shyness instantly overtook him, and as Mine ran to Naru with an excited expression, he slipped into a nearby cluster of sakura.

"It's time to go, Mine-chan," Naru told her little sister with a smile. When the little girl sighed, she asked, "What's that for? Were you having fun?" The older girl suddenly noticed her eerie surroundings and let her face fall. "By yourself? And in a graveyard, of all places…"

"I wasn't by myself!" Mine objected. "I was here with my new friend."

Naru stared at her for the longest before a movement caught her attention. She pointed at the sakura nearby and asked, "You mean that little girl sneaking off in those trees?"

Ayame exhaled, knowing he'd been spotted._  
_

He suddenly jumped when Mine appeared by his side with the cheerful smile he had come to recognize. "Why are you hiding?" she asked with a silly edge. "Come and meet my sister! Don't be so afraid!" If Ayame was going to say something, she didn't give him the chance, for she grabbed his hand and pulled him from the shadows of the sakura and towards Naru. As the older girl smiled at the ghostly-silent boy, she chirped, "This is Ayame-kun! We've been exploring the graveyard ever since we got here."

Naru's smile broadened, and she lightly ruffled his long silver hair. "So this is why you don't want to leave. She's so cute!" she remarked in a song-like voice.

Mine instantly turned with a glare. "Onii-chan! That's so rude! He's a boy!" To this point, Ayame had been quiet due to his shyness, and now he was going to keep it that way.

Naru remained silent as a deep red blush slowly crept up on her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry…" she said, forcing a light-hearted laugh. "I'm really sorry…I just thought that…"

Ayame smiled as a sweat-drop appeared on his head. "It's okay. I get that a lot."

_Why wouldn't he?! _Naru allowed the thought to drop and turned towards Mine. "We should get going, kid. Mom's probably wondering where we are now." Turning back towards Ayame, she smiled and said, "Thanks for keeping my sister company all this time." In a quieter tone, she added, "It's good to know that Mine hasn't been playing with an imaginary friend today. She usually doesn't have friends to play with."

Ayame fell silent before nodding. _…I see. She must be alone a lot, too._

"I hope she wasn't a hassle," Naru continued jokingly.

As he noticed Mine turn her head in surprise, Ayame couldn't help but smile. "It wasn't easy, but I made it."

"You two are so mean!" Mine huffed as Naru laughed. She quickly recovered, however, and said, "You go ahead, Onii-chan. I need to tell Ayame something."

Naru nodded and was gone in an instant. Once she had vanished, Mine turned towards Ayame and lightly pecked his porcelain cheek. The snake froze once again, golden eyes flickering, before feeling his cheeks grow hot with blush for the millionth time that day.

"I had a lot of fun just being around you," Mine said with a smile. Her brown eyes twinkled with innocence as she said this, and Ayame flushed once more with a nod. She giggled at the sight of his embarrassed expression and added, "So…this is for you!"

The snake looked up as Mine took his hand, opened it, and laid something upon its surface. In his hand was a pale pink cherry blossom still attached to its stem, its velvety petals giving off a sweet-smelling fragrance. His golden eyes took in its shape with a faint stir of confusion, but it faded into realization the longer he looked at it. He barely noticed Mine beaming in front of him as another blush overtook his face, and he shyly looked towards her. "…Thanks."

Mine's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink when she saw the smile that appeared across the silver-haired boy's features. It was a smile that remained hidden underneath whatever dark emotions danced in his eyes, but emerged and shone as purely as snow on the ground. It made her think of a baby bird stretching its wings for the first time…then flying out of the nest, not to return for a while. She smiled. "No problem."

She looked up and heard Naru calling her, and she turned with a dancer's grace. As she broke into a light run and disappeared through the sakura, she turned to Ayame and called, "I hope we can see each other again!" With a wave and a giggle, the raining petals obscured her form, and she was gone.

Ayame simply stared at the spot where she had vanished through the sakura. He remained silent, his golden irises holding a silent expression of solitude, as he glanced once more at the cherry blossom within his hand. He knew it was only his mind playing tricks, but he heard the faint sound of Mine's cheerful laugh from the pink petals almost instantly.

_…I don't want it to die, _he thought. _I'll find some way to keep it alive once I get home. _As a familiar lost breeze swayed his silver hair, he blinked. _I'll probably never see her again._

_**********_

**Preview: **Well, how peachy. :3 Since it seems like more joy has entered Ayame's life by this point, there's no questioning that he's becoming a happier person. However, is fate still on his side, and will it grant him with the joyful life he's still striving for? Or will things only grow worse for our little snake? Find out in the next chapter!


	11. Sayonara

**Chapter Ten: Sayonara  
**

**Title: **Mirrors of the Past

**Summary: **See previous chapters.

**Warnings: **Oh, no…the angst returns. THE ANGST!! ...Somewhat.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ayame, nor do I own Fruits Basket. However, the story's mine.

**Chapter Notes: **I'VE! FINALLY! UPDATED! YAY! After how long? A year or more, perhaps? Boy, does time fly…I'm sorry for that intense case of writer's block, everyone! Is anyone even still reading this? Hope so. At least my muse has finally returned from her lengthy vacation! ^ _ ^

As you may have noticed, all the chapters have names now. This is mainly because I went back and made a few small revisions to this story (style changes, **not **plot changes). And I came to the conclusion that numbered chapters were boring, so I remedied that. I'm pretty sure most of you know that "sayonara" is "goodbye" in...Japanese? Correct me if I'm wrong, and I shall fix it. :)

We have officially reached the tenth chapter of Ayame's not-as-unhappy-as-before-but-still-unhappy life! Now there's only a few chapters left of his tale…oops. Didn't mean to say that. I'll try to upload these final chapters up as soon as possible to make up for the long wait. Also, since I'm finally back in the groove of fanfiction writing, you know? ;D And for those who don't know, the "Akira-san" that Ayame mentions is Akito's father (and the family head before Akito) in the manga. Anyways, on with the chapter! Enjoy!

"_…Where am I…?"_

_Two sapphire irises snapped open in shock. As the luminous orbs danced about in wild anxiety, Hitomi managed to collect her wits and get to her feet, wondering what was supporting her beneath. She didn't have to question for long...a gentle series of ripples escaped from beneath her feet and grew wider before they vanished into a dark body of water. Even in the midst of her frantic confusion, it became clear that she was standing upon the glass-like surface of the ocean. A very dark ocean, at that. The lucid water and what lay beneath were ink-black in color…despite her fear, the chord of questioning was struck within Hitomi's mind upon this strange observation._

_Why was this ocean…and this unknown place…so deep and dark? Why did it just seem to go on forever, like in real life? And what was it doing here in the first place, wherever "here" was? She knew she was only dreaming – the doctors had said things like this would happen – but she remained uncertain as to what her wide eyes overlooked._

_Maybe this black ocean was part of something…she just had no idea what. Perhaps it was something that could be seen only through one person's eyes. Something that could lurk within only one person's heart…a manifestation of someone's innermost emotions. Whatever it was, Hitomi was certain of one thing: darkness hung heavily over its surface, and this wasn't just obvious by the color of the water beneath her feet. Something weighty was suspended in the air and slowly engulfed her like a shadow. It terrified her, this heavy, unseen darkness…it scared her so much. What was it?_

_"…Mother?"_

_Hitomi instantly let out a shriek towards the unexpected voice. She was surprisingly quick to recover as her sapphire eyes narrowed towards the source of her shock._

_"A-Ayame!" she snarled, readying an arm to strike the small, fragile figure kneeling quietly at her side. "What are you doing up at this hour? Go to bed already!"_

_The little serpent child gave no response. His golden eyes, shadowed by a curtain of bangs, continued to watch the ripples that had formed beneath Hitomi's footsteps without the slightest indication of him hearing her. His lack of a reply, of course, was enough to make the tall blonde angrier. "AYAME! Are you listening to me?!"_

_"…Hello," he finally said after what seemed like a century. As his soft voice was carried away into the rippling blackness, he slowly raised a pair of unreadable yellow irises to meet her glare._

_Hitomi twitched, startled. "Ugh…you're bleeding…" The surprise continued to linger the more she stared at his effeminate face; his ivory skin had been tainted by the gentle flowing of crimson upon its smooth surface. The scarlet rivers continued to appear from an unseen origin upon his forehead, slowly trailing down his cheek until they ended in silent drips upon the collar of his kimono._

_The longer she stared at him, the more acidic her disgust grew. "Hey…do you even know how much that thing cost me?!" she hissed as the crimson stain continued to expand upon the dark silk. "Not like I would expect an ungrateful brat like you to care. Go and wash all that off!"_

_Silence was the boy's only response. That is, until he glanced back up towards her and spoke in a voice that Hitomi didn't expect. "…Why should I?" he replied, speaking with a calm tone that carried a heavy air of indifference. Tilting his silver-topped head, he added, "After all, you're not __**my **__mother. Besides, weren't you the one who made him bleed in the first place?"_

_Hitomi's anger flared once more. She wasn't an idiot – she knew that it was her fault Ayame had cracked his head on the floor so many years ago – but what gave the little brat the right to speak to her in that arrogant tone? "Don't get snippy with me! Dare I even ask why you think you can treat me this way?!" she snarled._

_"I already told you…you're not my mother. Are you deaf, or are you dumb?" Hitomi instantly felt a shiver run down her spine when the serpent child allowed a small, sardonic smile to appear upon his blood-stained features. "I don't exactly have a name, but understand that I'm not the sad little boy you've treated like trash all this time."_

_The blonde instantly felt her skin crawl when he lightly touched her hand, gazing at her with an expression of bitterness inside his golden irises. "I'm actually the dark part of your son's mind."_

_Blue was instantly framed with white as confusion and fear began to overtake Hitomi's senses. "What…what on Earth are you talking about?"_

_She didn't receive a direct answer. Rather, the silver-haired child gazed towards the side in a reminiscent fashion. "I'm the one that he's turned to all this time…no thanks to you and everybody else in this world. But he's found happiness now…he doesn't have much of a need for me anymore," he concluded, turning to gaze once more at the frozen woman before him. "Do you know why that is?" he asked._

_"Why would I care?!" Hitomi responded fiercely. "He's the lowest creature in the Juunishi! Why should I expect anything good out of him? He's worthless to me! __And you're not much better, you brat!"_

_"That wasn't what I asked," the serpent child snapped. "But since this is my domain you're in, I call the shots…and I'll decide what you do and don't listen to. He doesn't need me anymore because he's found good people in this world…nice people, like his aunt and his cousins. Because of them, he's finally been able to feel happiness…the joy that he's needed all along in this hellish world. But…"_

_As his words trailed away into the blackness, the wide-eyed Hitomi prepared herself to turn and run from the tiny child gazing at her. But she didn't get far before something cold and slender made a loud noise and whipped around her ankles. She faltered, immense shock taking over her senses, and was instantly met with more of the white scaly reptiles that slithered out of the black depths of the ocean._

_A sudden rush of adrenaline instantly kicked in, and she screamed shrilly, falling onto the surface of the water as the snakes began to wrap around her frame. Their angry hissing filled the black air as they constricted tighter and tighter around her chest and limbs, completely ignoring her shattering cries for help. The more she screamed, the tighter they squeezed without the faintest trace of remorse (if snakes could possess emotions like people)._

_In the midst of Hitomi's cries, the silver-haired child slowly fell so that he was eye-level with the horrified woman. "It's bad people like __**you**__ who deserve to drown in darkness, like he's been doing all this time," he finished dryly. Lightly touching her tear-streaked cheek, he added, "Do you get it now? Now do you know how it feels to be hurt and crushed by those around you?"_

_"YOU'RE CRAZY!" Hitomi yelled, struggling to tear the snakes off of her form. "DON'T FEED ME THAT NONSENSE!" Before she could insult the small child before her once again, the constrictions once again tightened, crushing her frame and causing her to emit an ear-piercing scream of agony._

_As her vision began to falter, she managed to take in the fading sight of her son, Ayame Sohma, appearing beside his kimono-clad double as he smiled and gave a light, amused laugh._

"…!!!!" Hitomi's sapphire eyes awoke with a start. Quickly sitting in an upright position, she frantically absorbed her surroundings before breathing a sigh of relief. She was in her own moonlit room once more, with Kentaro sleeping soundly at her side. Despite the comfort that she felt upon this observation, it couldn't fight the enormous headache that seemed to be engulfing her from the inside out. She winced in agony and raised a hand to her head, only to stop short when she noticed how much it trembled.

It wasn't long before a cold sweat broke out upon her forehead. As vicious replays of her bizarre nightmare began to flicker in and out of her mind, she winced, laying a hand gently upon her stomach. _Ugh…I don't feel so well. Cursed nausea._

"…Stupid child. Even when I'm asleep, he makes me miserable."

"Aaya! Come on, hurry up!"

"Yikes! How'd you two get so far ahead of me?"

A raven-haired boy with eyes the color of chocolate jostled his falling backpack onto his shoulder. Shifting his eyes a time or two, he responded, "Haa-san and I used our secret teleportation powers. You're awfully slow today, you know."

"He's right," a second dark-haired boy added, shielding his jade-green eyes from the afternoon sun. "Did something happen?"

"Nope!" Ayame Sohma, age ten, chirped as he caught up to his two best friends. Pushing a silky lock of his silver-white hair out of his eyes, he said, "I got kind of wrapped up in thinking and just lagged behind. Thanks for waiting, though!"

Shigure and Hatori exchanged amused glances for their friend as the three began their summer-touched walk towards an afternoon of no homework and excessive freedom. The warmth of the sun's rays upon their shoulders instilled sensations of both peace and exhilaration into the trio…even Hatori's stoic expression reflected a sense of contentment.

"So, has your mom's belly gotten bigger, Aaya?" Shigure suddenly asked. "A while ago, you said she was pregnant, I think."

"…Yeah. Yeah, she is. Five months…or so."

Shigure, puzzled by Ayame's suddenly-odd behavior, gazed questioningly at his friend. "Hey, what's up? Are you sure you're not feeling sick or something?" He paused and gingerly placed a hand upon the snake's forehead. "You feel a little warm…maybe you should see Ha'ri's dad when we get to the main house."

Ayame waved a hand and grinned. "Nah, I feel just fine! Thanks for your concern, though, Gure-san!"

The dog rolled his chocolate-brown eyes playfully. "Who said I was concerned?"

"Don't pretend that you weren't," Ayame joked. Suddenly detecting a change within Hatori's quiet demeanor, he turned towards him in concern. "Tori-san?" he started. "Is something wrong?"

The dragon's jade-green eyes fell upon his companion with silent observation. "...That's the most you've said about your parents in a long time." When Ayame appeared curious towards his words, the midnight-haired boy abandoned the thought and added, "Never mind. I was just thinking out loud."

"You do that a lot, don't you?" the silver-haired boy teased.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Shigure called, waving his hands in front of Hatori's face. "How do you think you did on our presentations in class today?"

Ayame, ignoring his jest, appeared thoughtful before replying. "Hmm…I think I did alright," he admitted. Suddenly appearing self-conscious, he added, "It seemed like a lot of kids were just staring at me, though. Did someone put gum in my hair or something?"

Hatori turned and immediately pointed towards Ayame's silver-topped head. "With that white hair and those yellow eyes, you can't expect to _not _stand out," he stated.

"Yeah, I know, "the snake laughed. Running a hand through his long hair, he added, "I like it, though, so I'm not dying it or cutting it or anything. It kind of suits me, actually!" he chirped.

Shigure raised an eyebrow. "That sounds…kinda weird, Aaya. Well, whatever floats your boat. Oh, that's right!" he suddenly recollected. "I was going through Sensei's stuff during break, and I meant to show you what I found!" Smiling mischievously, the raven-haired boy lowered himself to the concrete and removed a stack of crumpled magazines from his backpack.

Ayame eyeballed him curiously. "Why were you snooping through the teacher's stuff?"

"For reasons that only I know and should not be known to those such as yourself!" his friend responded proudly. As Ayame and Hatori exchanged obvious stares of confusion, Shigure regained his posture and thrust magazines into both their hands. "Now, open these and be alarmed by Sensei's taste in books!"

The silver-haired boy simply stared at the magazine's cover. Just a woman in a short dress…nothing too alarming about that. Looking up at Shigure, he remarked, "I don't get it…it's some sort of fashion magazine, isn't it? Maybe he's looking for a gift for his wife." As he glanced towards the cover once more, he added softly, "The color of that dress doesn't really match with her skin tone, though." **(Oh, boy...a tailor is born! ...Sorta.)**

"Innocent, innocent Aaya-chan," the dog sighed, placing a hand upon Ayame's head. "You really are oblivious to all sorts of things, aren't you? Just open the book."_ Of course, what he said could go in _**that**_ direction, as well…_

Blinking, Ayame did as he was told. He instantly regretted it. With a wide-eyed expression of disgusted horror, he flung the magazine back into his friend's face. "_That's disgusting!_" he shouted. "What in the world were they doing?! More importantly, what's wrong with you, Gure-san?!"

Shigure immediately burst into a bout of obnoxious laughter. "You should see that look on your face (and blame Sensei, not me)!" he cried between laughs. "Grossed out, much?"

"Who _wouldn't_ be grossed out? I don't even want to know where that came from!"

"I told you, it came from Sensei's desk."

Hatori, wearing his signature deadpan expression, glanced towards the spastically-abhorred Ayame. Holding up one of the magazines, he questioned, "Is it really that bad, Ayame? What's in here?"

The silver-haired boy immediately grasped the dragon by the shoulders and looked deeply into his eyes. "Don't do it. Whatever you do, _don't open it_."

"Open it, Haa-san! Open it!" Shigure chimed.

"He didn't ask _you_! Don't open it, Tori-san!"

Hatori, although he didn't usually express this quality, was naturally curious about things that others claimed were bad (as most boys were). It was this trait of his being that prompted him to ignore the snake's advice and open the magazine.

Similar to Ayame's reaction upon glancing over the images, he regretted doing so. As his jade eyes widened and shattered his stoic visage, a shout snaked its way out of his voice box and into the summer air. _"Get that away from me!"_

Shigure and Ayame could only stare in shock as Hatori screamed louder than they had ever dreamed he could. A moment later, the disgusted boy swiftly kicked the magazines out of Shigure's hands and into the street, where they were soon run over by a taxi.

Ayame made a soft whistling noise as he surveyed the distance they had flown. "…Whoa. Maybe you should join the soccer team when we get into middle school, Tori-san." Shigure, however, could only cry tears of self-pity as he gazed at the remains of what would've been the best blackmail material ever.

_As Ayame_ _stepped outside the gates of the main house, a thought suddenly reappeared inside his head. Shyly, he turned. "...Hey…about later..."_

_The dog and the dragon feel into deep thought. "…Yeah. Don't worry. We'll be here, waiting," Hatori spoke calmly, breaking the heavy silence. "You…haven't told her yet, have you?"_

_"…No."_

_"Is she suspicious? Does she know you've been sneaking your things over here?"_

_"No."_

_Shigure nodded. "We'll still be here…just don't chicken out on us, okay?"_

_The pallid boy smiled softly. "I won't."_

As Ayame watched the bag begin its descent towards the ground, the words spoken just an hour ago reiterated themselves inside his mind. He jumped when a loud cracking sound erupted upon impact and leaned out his window to investigate the damage. _Yikes…I hope my clock didn't break, _he thought worriedly._ It seems like that's the last of my things…Gure-san and Tori-san seem to have everything else._

"…Well, I guess this is it," he said softly into the newborn emptiness. As he gazed towards the fire-like sunset, his velvety golden eyes reflected its beauty in dark thought. This room…the one tainted with ten years of sadness and turmoil…would soon be vacant within a matter of minutes. Even now, during the lightest point in Ayame's life, his painful memories still lingered within the walls. They hung like ominous storm clouds over his head, their presence so dark and solid that they could easily be clarified as part of the room's interior.

The silver-haired boy was practically sickened with the notion that the room would most likely become his brother's nursery once he was born. The house only had three bedrooms, and one of them was used for storage; it made sense to Ayame that Hitomi would insist on sheltering the baby in the only empty room after his birth. However, he disliked that idea. It wasn't jealousy that bothered him – he wouldn't even have the need for that emotion before long. This room had accumulated so many dark memories over the years that it was deemed unfit for something as innocent as a newborn baby. Something so small and oblivious to the world's heartaches didn't deserve to be touched by the sadness of the room's previous occupant…the mere thought of it was simply disturbing to him.

Even though this now-barren room trapped so much bitterness and pain, it had still been his sanctuary from the rest of his turmoil. So many days had he spent inside its walls, hiding away from the cruelty of the outside world…despite its hidden blackness, he had felt so safe within its shadows. Although Ayame practically hated it now, due to the terrible memories it confined, he couldn't help but feel sentimental towards the idea of leaving it for good. It was a sad feeling, leaving behind something that had provided so much comfort.

For so many years, it had given him a place to escape hell…and he was repaying its kindness with abandonment. The same abandonment he'd known for so long.

"…Thank you." _Thank you…for keeping me from going crazy for all these years. For keeping me safe from others when they weren't near me. I'm sorry that you have to hold so much pain._

As the silver-haired boy shut the window, he slowly turned and gazed at the empty room for the last time. Sighing quietly, he gave a solemn nod towards its shadowed interior before closing the door with a faint click.

"…Mother?"

As soon as the icy-blue irises fixed their glare upon his form, Ayame shuddered. It was mainly the cautious tremor within his voice that suddenly made him nervous, but his mother's agitation was another unwelcome contribution. Hitomi was apparently not in her best of moods today – not that she was ever in a good mood to begin with. Nonetheless, the anger radiating from her eyes was enough to make him question whether or not he really wanted to go through with this ordeal. He could always skip out on it, decide to bring it up another day, and say "Never mind" and turn to go back to his room. It was that simple.

Especially since his mother was five months pregnant. From the outbursts that Ayame had seen Kentaro become faced with over the days, her gestation had made her more irritable than usual. Surely it could wait one more night…

_No! _Ayame's golden eyes focused on the floors in headstrong determination. _I've held off on this for too long…I can't make myself wait any longer. It's not as if her mood will get better anytime soon, so I might as well get it over with._

"…H-hi," the silver-haired boy forced, bringing his flickering eyes to meet the glaring ones of his mother. Ayame was quick to notice another shadow fall upon the floorboards; a quick glance told him of Kentaro's curiously-lurking presence nearby. He shook his head. _He doesn't matter. _"…Are you feeling any better from —"

"What do you want?" Hitomi snapped, cutting her son off. Her eyes didn't cease to lose their flint-like frown for the slightest second…this was the perfect mask for her current emotions. Through the hatred she possessed for the serpent child, a shallow sense of surprise lurked. Why did he care about how she felt, and since when did he greet her like that? It wasn't any of his concern, nor was it anybody's, for that matter.

_"It's bad people like __**you**__ who deserve to drown in darkness, like he's been doing all this time."_

Hitomi's icy glare sharpened. _I know this brat's game. _"I expect you to answer me…I don't have time to sit around and wait for you to say something," she added through clenched teeth.

Ayame lightly drummed his fingers upon the staircase railing. This was going to be a _lot_ harder than he imagined. "Um…well…" That faltering tremor wove its way into his voice once more, and he began to grow jumpy with anxiety. As much as he wanted to turn against his intentions, a second voice within his head forced him to go through with them. He chose to listen to it. He had a feeling that it was more than just the best thing to do…it would not only be better for himself, but it would even help…

…_My mother. _"…I just wanted to say…that it's okay now."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" she spat.

The silver-haired boy looked into his mother's cold eyes…something that he hadn't done for a long, long time. "I'm…leaving, Mother," he responded softly.

As the words escaped his pallid lips, two sapphire irises darkened. _...What?_

Choosing his words carefully, Ayame continued with the faintest addition of confidence in his voice. "…I know…that it's sort of sudden, but…when I leave, I won't be coming back here anymore. Akira-san…he's already prepared a room for me at the main house. Most of my things are already there. Gure-san and Tori-san are there, too, so...I won't be lonely." It then occurred to him that Hitomi didn't know who Gure-san and Tori-san were. _That's right…I never told her about my friends. I've never told her about anything in my life, have I?_

He quietly made his way past his mother and towards the front door, failing to notice the dark change upon Hitomi's visage. As he placed his hand upon the doorknob - for what he knew would be the last time – he quietly exhaled in sentimentality. "…I know there isn't anything for me in this house…there never has been. I need to fit in somewhere in this world, and that somewhere isn't here. That's why I'm leaving." _That place is with Gure-san and Tori-san…not here._

Two golden orbs blinked sadly. "...And…I don't want to cause you any more pain."

Hitomi said nothing.

Ayame grew hesitant. His mother's lack of a response was beginning to worry him. _Is she happy or mad? _"…I know you hate me because of my curse. I've always known. But it's okay," he said quietly. "When I leave…you won't have to feel sad anymore. Because you won't have to see me day after day. I'll be over at the main house, and you can forget all about me then. You can forget about me being your son…also because you have a new son coming." Yellow irises flickered with unknown emotions. "He'll be a normal kid, unlike me…and you can be happy with him. That happiness you didn't have with me can go to my new brother…then you could feel better. When he comes, maybe…you'll let me see him sometime." With the faintest of smiles, he added, "I would be happy if I could."

_…I'm jealous of you, otouto-kun _**(little brother)**_. You'll get all the love and attention that I never got. But…that's good, right? Because you'll be happy as you grow up, and you can have the life that I couldn't' have. Since Mother hates me, she might not tell you that you have a brother. But…I'll try to see you when you come to the main house. We can play and be friends, and I can look after you from a distance. So…_

His golden eyes stung ever so gently, and he smiled. "...Be happy, otouto-kun…"

Kentaro listened nearby, his heart aching. _Ayame…you've been planning this all along. Since you were old enough to understand about your mother's hatred, haven't you?_

Lifting his head, the silver-haired boy sighed. "This will the last time you see me for a while, Mother. …Goodbye." As he slowly turned to look at her, he nodded in silent apology. "I'm…I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you. I'm sorry…that I couldn't be the son that you wanted."

Upon speaking those last words, his eyes immediately burned. _I'm sorry, Mother. Even though you hurt me so much and made me feel so much pain. Even though you don't deserve an apology...I'm so sorry…_

His mother remained as silent as a church mouse.

As he turned the doorknob, Ayame forced away his sadness long enough to smile towards her…the woman who had caused him so much torment. "So," the silver-haired boy added, "be happy without me…and take good care of my younger – "

He didn't have time to finish before a familiar hand struck him so hard across the face that he instantly lost his footing. Once the fall had ended, his wide eyes flashed in agony as his head hit the railing with a sickening thump. Unconsciousness immediately overtook him, and he fell to the floorboards without a single gasp.

Kentaro stepped back in alarm. As Hitomi silently made her way to Ayame's unmoving body, his dark brown eyes widened in painful despair. _Don't touch him. Don't hurt him. Just leave him alone._

The sapphire irises glinted darkly as they fell upon the crimson pool slowly accumulating by Ayame's head. As she dropped to her knees beside him, Hitomi smiled with enough sadism to drive away a dozen starving wolves.

"…You're not going anywhere."

**Preview: **...Oh boy. Looks like somebody's a little angry, no? And it looks like Ayame has taken quite a blow. Will he be alright? And what's Kentaro's reaction to all of this? Finally, why is Hitomi so against Ayame's leaving, if she despises him so much? Find out in the next chapter! And sorry to end this on a cliffhanger, everyone...no hating, please!


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